Time Flies
by Mystica
Summary: Santa Clause fic about Bernard! After being ordered out to locate Father Time's four children, Bernard learns that his Destiny is tied, not only to those four, but to all the Powers That Be.
1. He's Making A List

Time Flies

Author's Note:  A _Santa Clause 2 fic!  How joyous.  Of course I don't own any of the characters from either of the two movies.  Those belong to the people at Disney.  Any and all original characters are, however, mine._

**Chapter 1 – He's Making A List…**

            "All right."  Bernard sighed.  "I understand that Father Time is an important mythical figure.  I understand that this makes any children he may or may not have important.  I understand that it's vital to find them before they unsuspectingly wreak havoc on the world as we know it.  But," he couldn't keep the hint of despair out of his voice, "I _don't_ understand why I've got to be the one to find them."

            "Because," Santa Clause, also known as Scott Calvin, said cheerfully.  "I mean, could you imagine Curtis trying to round up a group of magical humans?"

            Bernard opened his mouth – then stopped.  He shuddered.  "Point taken.  But still, that doesn't answer my question.  Why me?  Christmas is coming up in a month.  You need me here."

            "True," Scott admitted.  "But I also need someone to go find these missing children, and you're the only one who looks old enough to be able to move at all freely in the human world."

            "So why can't Father Time find his own children?" Bernard asked bitingly.

            "The same reason that I can't," Scott replied.  "Father Time is busy.  He'd send out his own helpers, but the Moments are even smaller than the normal elves."

            Bernard had to acknowledge this.  Father Time's Moments were fairies about a foot high, which helped him keep History, arrange the Present, and determine Destiny.  They'd be about as much help in this situation as the Easter Bunny's golden-egg-laying geese, or Mother Nature's dryads, who had flowers instead of hair, and turned into trees every night under the moon.

            He sighed in defeat.  "How long should it take me?"

            "Not long," Scott assured him.  "No more than a couple weeks."

            "A _couple __weeks?" Bernard yelped.  "This is our busiest season!"_

            Scott gave his Head Elf a stern look.  "I'll manage.  This is important, Bernard.  If those children rearrange history, then for all we know there may end up being no Christmas at all.  Or no elves, for that matter."

            "I know.  I know."  Bernard surrendered.  "I'll go."

            "Great."  Scott grinned.  Bernard scowled.  "Now, there are four children."

            "Four?  Quadruplets?"  Bernard shook his head.  "No wonder the mother died in childbirth."

            Scott frowned at Bernard.  "That wasn't nice.  You can't talk to these children like that.  They'll punch you."  Bernard nodded.  "All right then.  As I said, there are four of them.  Fortunately for you, they all live close to New York.  Laura and Neil said you could stay in their home while you search."

            "You asked already?" Bernard demanded indignantly.  "You didn't know I'd do it!"

            Scott just smiled.  "Father Time has sent you an enchanted compass."  He pulled it out of his pocket, handing it to Bernard.  The Head Elf examined it.  Instead of the usual directions, the four points were labeled with the children's names – Dimitri Terryn, Sherwin Lennor, Ebony Hiems, and Bianca Sheiling.  "You can set it to any of the four by pressing the button beside that child's name, or you can press the button in the middle.  Doing that will make the names of anyone in the compass's radius glow silver."

            "And what do I do when I find them?" Bernard asked.  "Say, 'Hi, you don't know me, but your father sent me to tell you that he's Father Time and that if you don't come with me right now you could cause the destruction of the world as we know it?'  That will go over quite well, I _don't_ think.  And what happens if I can't find them?  Do I wander around New York City, hoping they'll fall into range?"

            "I'm sure you'll come up with something to say to them," Scott told him, exceptionally patient with the upset elf.  "As for finding them, this compass homes in on their magic, but their magic is also attracted to it.  That's why I told you no more than two weeks, because by the time those two weeks have passed each child will have felt an irresistible compulsion to come to New York City."

            "So all I have to do is wait?" Bernard asked suspiciously.

            "That's right," Scott replied with what, in Bernard's opinion, was entirely too cheerful an attitude.  "Of course, I believe that Ebony is already in New York, so you can get started right away."

            "Excellent," Bernard said, his tone making it clear he didn't think this was excellent at all.  Not that it mattered what he thought, of course.  If it did, Father Time would be looking for his own bloody children, and to hell with the reasons he couldn't.

            "Hello, Bernard."

            Bernard jumped at the voice that sounded the moment when he arrived in the Millers' hallway.  Laura stood there, smiling.  "Hi," he said.

            "It's nice to see you again," she said pleasantly.  "You'll be staying in our guestroom.  Why don't you go ahead and put your luggage there?  I'm afraid we've eaten dinner already, but I can find something for you."

            "No, that's ok," Bernard assured her, shifting his weight awkwardly from foot to foot.  "I'm not hungry."

            Laura frowned at him.  As a mother, she clearly did not approve of this refusal of good food.  Bernard half expected her to start lecturing him about those poor starving children in the third world countries.  "All right, then.  The guest room is upstairs, the last door on the right."

            "Thanks."  Bernard escaped gratefully.  Laura Miller always made him feel uncomfortable.  He got the feeling that she somehow knew it had been his idea for Scott to "kidnap" Charlie in the first place.

            "Bernard!"

            _Speak of the devil, Bernard thought, as Charlie stuck his head out of his room, looking delighted to see his old friend.  "Hiya, sport!"_

            "Hi, Bernard!"  Charlie came into the hall.  "Mom said you were coming.  Actually, she said Dad sent you here kicking and screaming."  Charlie's grin widened, resembling Scott's.

            Bernard scowled.  "Yes, Father Time asked Santa to do him a favor.  Didn't your mom tell you?"  Charlie shook his head.  "There are these four kids I have to find – Father Time's children."

            Charlie's face lit up.  "The other mythical figures have children?  Can I meet them?"

            "I don't see why not," Bernard said, after a moment's consideration.  "And of course they have children.  That rabbit complains about his all the time."

            "Wow."  Charlie looked even happier than he had on seeing Bernard.  "And they're all here in New York?"

            "They will be soon."  Bernard looked at the compass on a chain around his neck.  Ebony's name was glowing, but the others' remained depressingly dull.  "Speaking of which, I should probably get started."

            "What, now?"  Charlie frowned.  "But it's late."

            "The sooner I get started, the sooner I'll be able to go back and help with Christmas," Bernard pointed out.  "Right now Curtis is trying to run things, and you remember what happened the last time he was in charge of anything."  Charlie and Bernard both shuddered at the memory.

            "Right," Charlie agreed.  "Now is definitely a good time to start."

            Bernard checked his compass one more time as he stood in front of the house.  Yes, this was the place where Ms. Ebony Hiems lived, at least at the moment.  He took a deep breath, and knocked on the door.

            It was jerked open impatiently, and Bernard's jaw dropped at the young woman who stood before him.

Her hair was green.  Like grass.  Like emeralds.  Like frogs and lettuce and crayons.  A deep, brilliant green that clashed with her grey-green eyes.  Bernard wondered if there was some mistake, and this was Mother Nature's daughter instead of Father Time's.

She couldn't be the girl he was looking for, he decided.  This was someone else.  Her friend, or the daughter of the family that adopted Ebony, or something.  This could not be the daughter of Father Time.  Could she?

            She glared at him.  "You're late."

            "Um…"  Bernard, still wondering if this was in fact the girl he'd been looking for, was caught off-guard.  He had to ask.  "Are you Ebony Hiems?"

            The glare's intensity increased.  "Obviously.  You're Benjamin?"

            "Bernard," the Head Elf said automatically.  He wasn't sure why it was that people always got his name wrong, but they did.  Scott had hardly been the first.

            "Bernard, then."  She didn't seem to care, one way or the other.  "You're late.  Come on."

            She pushed past him and headed to the car in the driveway.  Bernard stared after her, then hurried to catch up.  "What are you doing?" he asked blankly, as she got in the driver's side.

            "I don't trust other people to drive me places," she said flatly.  "Anyway, you haven't got a car.  What did you do, walk?"

            "You could say that," Bernard said cautiously.

            "Well, then I'm driving.  Get in."  She pointed to the seat beside her.  "Come on, I haven't got all night."

            Bernard blinked.  "All right."  He obeyed, sitting stiffly inside the vehicle.

            Unlike most elves, Bernard did in fact know what cars were.  Scott had explained them once, back when the police were after him for that kidnapping incident.  So he had some vague idea of what to expect.  He even managed to fasten his seatbelt without too much difficulty.

            He looked over at the girl.  Was she really the Ebony he was looking for?  And how had she known he was coming, anyway?  "So where – "

            She hit the gas pedal, and the words froze in Bernard's throat.  Apparently, Scott had neglected to tell him the most vital point of how cars moved.  Which was _fast._

            All right, so Santa's sleigh moved even faster.  But that was different.  It was up in the air, all alone except for birds and high buildings, not on narrow roads surrounded by hundreds – no, _thousands_ – of other cars moving as fast or faster.

            Though not many of them were driving faster than this crazy green-haired girl.  Bernard, holding hard to the bottom of the seat in utter terror, couldn't imagine how she avoided hitting any of the other cars.

            Yet somehow, they survived long enough to pull into a parking lot in front of somewhere called "Benvolio's."  The girl turned to him, smirking slightly.  "We're here."

            Bernard ignored her, scrambling to get out of the car.  He breathed deeply once his feet were on solid, nonmoving ground.  He heard the girl laugh.  Her smirk had grown as she came around to meet him.  "What, too fast for you?"

            Without giving him a chance to respond, she walked to the place's entrance and went in.  Bernard, not seeing that he had any other choices, followed.  He caught up with her just in time to hear her saying to a woman at a counter, "Reservation for two, in the name of Ebony Hiems."

            So she _was the girl he was looking for.  Bernard didn't know whether to be pleased or not.  On one hand, this was one out of four children found.  But on the other hand, she was apparently some sort of lunatic._

            The woman nodded, smiling.  "Right this way, then."  She led the two through the building, which Bernard quickly realized was a restaurant, to a table for two, in a room that was entirely too dark for Bernard's tastes.

            She smiled again.  "Your server will be with you in just a moment."  She left.

            Bernard stood staring at Ebony.  She stared back.  "Aren't you going to pull out my chair for me?" she hinted.

            Bernard blinked.  "Should I?"

            Ebony rolled her eyes, and sat down.  Bernard frowned, wondering what he'd done.  He sat in the chair she'd left vacant.

            "So… Ms. Hiems."  She raised an eyebrow at the name.  "Or Ebony – is that all right?"  She nodded.  "Ebony.  May I ask why you brought me here?"

            Ebony rolled her eyes again.  "To eat, of course.  What do you do at restaurants?"

            "Well, yes, I can see that," Bernard admitted.  "But that wasn't what I mean.  Why did you bring me anywhere in the first place?"

            Ebony gave him a look of utter disbelief.  "What do you do on dates, sit in the car and stare at girls?"

            "Date?"  Bernard's jaw dropped again.  "What date?"

            Ebony frowned.  "You know, the blind date?  That your cousin set us up on?"  Bernard continued to look totally blank.  Ebony's face hardened.  "You aren't my date, are you?"

            "I'm afraid not," Bernard said, wincing.  "Look, I'm really sorry – "

            "I _knew his name was Benjamin!" Ebony exclaimed, overriding Bernard's apology.  "And I thought she'd said he was blond."  Suddenly, she snapped out of her thoughts, her glare focusing in on Bernard like a deadly arrow._

            "So if you aren't Benjamin," she said dangerously, "who the hell _are you?"_

Author's Note:  Heh.  Poor Bernard, he's just getting thrown all over the place, huh?  Anyway, if you noticed, I wasn't entirely sure what city Scott lived in before he became Santa.  I thought it was New York, so that's what I wrote it as, but if I'm wrong, please let me know.

Zhai'helleva!

- Mystica


	2. What Child Is This?

Time Flies

Author's Note:  Bernard has to deal with the wrath of a lady.  Poor elf.  Also, we get to meet the second of the four children of Time.  Fortunately, this one is a little less violent.

Disclaimer:  The characters from the two movies belong to Disney.  Any and all original characters are mine.  Oh, and Panara Bread belongs to the Panara Bread chain of stores.

**Chapter 2 – What Child Is _This_?**

            Bernard leaned back, away from Ebony and her glare.  "I'm Bernard," he told her, trying to smile disarmingly.

            He failed.  Ebony was unamused.  "Yes, you mentioned that.  Why were you pretending to be my date?"

            "I wasn't!" Bernard objected indignantly.  "You didn't let me get a word in edgewise till just now!  I thought you knew who I was, or something!"

            "Really?"  Ebony's glare faded as she considered this.  She laughed suddenly.  "Wow, I guess I did kind of drag you here."  Her eyes narrowed again in suspicion.  "So why were you at my house in the first place?"

            "Well – "

            "Hello, sir, ma'am."  A young man approached the table, holding a notepad and smiling pleasantly.  "My name's Josh, and I'll be your server for tonight.  Can I get you anything to drink?"

            Ebony looked down at her menu.  "Coffee.  Decaf."

            "Just water," Bernard said.  Asking for cocoa rarely went without comment in the human world.  And besides, nothing here could come close to matching Judy's recipe.

            "All right."  Josh nodded at both of them.  "I'll be back with your drinks in just a minute."  He left.

            Ebony looked back at Bernard.  "Let's try that again," she told him.  "Without the interruption."

            Fortunately, Bernard had already planned what he was going to say.  He couldn't exactly jump into the "you're Father Time's daughter" speech, after all.  "Have you ever met your father?"

            That startled Ebony, all right.  "My father?  You mean my biological father?  _He sent you?  Where is he?  _Who_ is he?"  Then she fell back against her seat, the eagerness going out of her eyes as the frosty look returned.  "Why hasn't he contacted me before this?"_

            "He wasn't aware he had a daughter," Bernard said, mixing some truth in with the lie.  "He only just learned about you, and he sent me to find you the day he found out."

            "Hmm."  Ebony eyed him appraisingly.  "You never did get around to mentioning exactly who you are.  Why'd he send you?"

            "I… I work for a colleague of his," Bernard said carefully.  "He wasn't able to come himself, or he certainly would have."

            "Busy."  Ebony's mouth twisted bitterly.

            "Well, yes," Bernard admitted.  "But he's also rather old.  Very old, in fact.  He doesn't travel well."

            "So who – "

            "Hello, again."  It was Josh, the waiter.  "I'm back."  He placed their drinks in front of them.  "Now, have you decided what you want to order?"

            Ebony blinked.  She shook her head a little, as if to clear it of the conversation.  "No – no, we haven't."

            Josh nodded agreeably.  "I'll come back in a few minutes, then."

            Ebony sat in contemplative silence for a few moments after Josh left.  Bernard debated continuing the conversation from where it had been interrupted, but the girl's body language did not look open to intrusion.  Eventually, his patience paid off.  She looked up.

            "How do I know my father really sent you?"

            "Um."  Bernard frowned.  This was one question he hadn't been prepared for.  If she'd been asking about Father Time specifically, that he could have dealt with.  Just remove his hat to display his ears, show her a little bit of tame magic, and problem solved.  But in terms of the human world?  He had nothing.

            "Well?" Ebony prompted impatiently.  "Do you expect me to just swallow this without any proof whatsoever?"

            "I guess not."  Bernard came to a decision.  He'd have to tell her the whole thing.  Otherwise, he just didn't have any proof at all.  But… he couldn't tell her here.  They were right in the view of all those other people.  And that waiter kept popping up.  "But I didn't really think to bring any proof with me."

            "Didn't you."  She raised a sardonic eyebrow, her voice a statement rather than the question the words implied.

            "Well, I didn't exactly expect to be brought out to a restaurant," Bernard pointed out huffily.  And distractingly.  All right, so it didn't really have anything to do with whether or not he had proof.  She didn't have to know that.

            Ebony made a face.  "That's actually a good point.  Damn, I hate it when other people are right."  She went back to studying him.  Bernard tried his best to look honest and sincere.  "Could you get some proof by tomorrow?"

            "Possibly," Bernard said warily.  "Why?"

            "I need time to think about all this," Ebony told him.  "Anyway, for all I know you're some crazy serial killer.  You look way too innocent to be for real."

            Bernard frowned, uncertain how to react to that.  She continued without giving him a chance.  "There's a bakery shop a couple blocks east of my house – Panara Bread, it's called.  I'll meet you there at seven tomorrow morning.  Unless," and there was a hint of a challenge in her voice, "that's too early for you."

            "Seven's fine," Bernard said immediately, responding to the tone rather than the words.  Then he mentally winced.  That meant he'd have to wake up early, didn't it?

            "Excellent.  I'll see you then."  Ebony looked up as Josh approached the table again.  "Bill, please."

            The waiter blinked.  "You don't want to order?"

            "Thanks, no.  This date isn't working out at all the way I expected."  Ebony smiled sweetly.  "I couldn't get _your number, could I?"_

            Bernard stiffened.  "You and I are not – "

            "That's ok, that's ok," Josh interrupted hurriedly.  "Sorry, ma'am, but I'm not interested.  Er – I mean, I don't really date customers.  I'll just bring you your bill, shall I?"

            As he half ran from the table, Ebony laughed.  Bernard stared at her incredulously.  "I suppose you think that's funny?"

            "Immensely," she said, more cheerful than he'd seen her yet.  "Pity he didn't agree.  I could've had lots of fun with that."

            Bernard tried to look disapproving, but he had to admit it was rather amusing when a different waiter returned carrying their bill.  Bernard paid for his glass of water with some of the human money Scott had arranged for him to have, rather proud that he'd managed to figure out how to use it believably.  Ebony, however, was unimpressed, and simply got up and walked out without a word.  As was expected, Bernard followed.

            Ebony stopped at her car.  "So, Panara Bread at seven tomorrow?" she asked again.

            Bernard nodded.  "Sure."

            "Do you need a ride back to your house?" Ebony wanted to know.

            "Actually, I can get there from here," Bernard lied quickly.  Well… technically it wasn't a lie.  After all, he could teleport from just about anywhere.

            "Really."  Ebony shrugged.  "All right, then.  Learn something new every day, I suppose."  She tilted her head at him.  "Considering that this wasn't a real date, I hope you aren't expecting a goodnight kiss."

            That caught Bernard off-guard, something Ebony seemed to excel in.  "What?  No, of course not!"  He turned red at the thought.

            Which was apparently her intention.  She laughed again.  "See you tomorrow, then, Bernard."

            "See you," he echoed.  He stood in the parking lot, watching as she drove out of sight, before transporting himself back to the guestroom of the Millers' house.

            "So how'd it go?"

Bernard jumped.  What was it with this family and startling him?  He looked around to see that Charlie was sitting on the bed.  "It went ok."

            "Just ok?"  Charlie frowned.  "What happened?"

            Bernard considered explaining all the events to Santa's son, but the thought of telling _anyone_ about them gave him a headache.  "I don't want to talk about it," he said at last.  "I have to see her tomorrow, and I need a break from thinking about it."

            "Tomorrow?" Charlie asked, brightening.  "Can I come?  You said I could meet her," he reminded the elf, when he didn't receive instant agreement.

            "I said that?"  Bernard frowned.  "I did, didn't I?  Ok, then.  You can help me convince her I'm not a raving lunatic."  He paused, recalling the last time he'd agreed to let Charlie come somewhere.  "But ask your mother first."

            "Why do we have to be there so early?"

            "If you're going to whine about it, you can go back to bed," Bernard snapped.  "You think I like going places at this ungodly hour?"

            Charlie slouched against the wall, stifling a yawn.  "Yes."

            "What are you talking about?" Neil asked, looking up from his newspaper.  "It isn't early – it's only quarter to seven!"

            "On a Saturday," Charlie pointed out.  "Normal people are asleep."

            "Yes, well, considering this family…"  Laura had entered the kitchen just in time to catch her son's last remark.  "You weren't going to leave without saying goodbye to your mother, were you, Charlie?"

            "No, Mom."  Charlie gave her a quick peck on the cheek.  "Can we go now?"

            "As long as you're careful," Laura said, smiling indulgently.  "And wear a jacket.  It's cold outside."

            Charlie grumbled a little at this, but went to the hall to grab a jacket.  He nodded at Bernard.  "Can we go _now?"_

            Bernard glared.  "You sound like a three-year-old."

            "You're grouchy, Bernard."  Lucy skipped down the stairs.  "How come?"

            "Because Bernard is not a morning person."  Neil came in and scooped Lucy up.  "Come on, out of the way.  You don't want Bernard to teleport you, too."

            Charlie waved.  "Bye, Lucy.  Bye, Neil."  Then he looked at Bernard impatiently.  "_Now_ can we – "

            Bernard transported the pair of them to the parking lot outside the bakery shop.

            " – go?"  Charlie blinked.  "That was fast."

            "The aim of teleporting."  Bernard strode around the building, towards the entrance.  Silently he cursed Ebony for choosing this time of day, and himself for agreeing, and Father Time for creating the early morning hours in the first place.

            He entered the shop, Charlie close on his heels.  According to the sign, the place had just opened, and was relatively deserted.  There were perhaps two other people there, not counting employees.  Not seeing Ebony, Bernard headed over to an empty booth in a far corner, out of sight from the other patrons.

            "She isn't here?" Charlie asked in disappointment, scanning the shop as though Ebony might just appear out of nowhere.

            "No."  Bernard resisted the urge to lay his head on the table and go to sleep.  Who knew what had been spilt on that surface?  "She won't be here till exactly seven."

            "Oh."  Charlie frowned.  "How do you know that?"

            "Because she's Father Time's daughter."  Bernard checked his watch.  She had five minutes.  He debated ordering food, but then realized that would involve things like standing, walking, and speaking.  He opted for scowling at the tabletop.

            "Can you tell how close she is?"  The scowl did nothing to deter Charlie, who was used to being grumbled at.  He'd dealt with Bernard's early morning alter ego on several of his visits to the North Pole.

            Bernard lifted his compass from its chain around his neck.  "She is – "  He stopped, examining the compass closely.  "Hmm."

            "'Hmm?'" Charlie repeated, leaning forward to peer at the compass.  "What do you mean, 'hmm?'"

            "Another child has entered the city," Bernard told him absently, studying the compass.  "With any luck, I can sort this girl out now and then go on to deal with Dimitri.  At this rate, I might be back home in less than a week."

            There was a cheery chiming sound as the door opened.  Bernard stood up.  Yes, that was Ebony, all right.  There was no mistaking that green hair.  He wondered why in the world she'd dyed it such an absurd color in the first place.

            She spotted him almost immediately, but instead of coming to his booth, Ebony went to pester the employee behind the counter.  Bernard sighed, listening to her demand a bagel that was apparently only available during summer.

            He started to tuck the compass back inside his shirt, but then the chime sounded again.

A chill went down Bernard's back.  Somehow, out of all the millions of people who could have entered that shop at that moment, he just _knew who it was going to be.  He looked at the compass in his hand, verified the direction of the arrow, and slowly stood again._

            A young man with pale brown hair stood in the doorway, looking rather puzzled, as though he wasn't entirely sure why he'd come in.  That was possible, Bernard mused.  The compass just attracted the children.  It didn't offer any rational explanation to them.

            Bernard stepped out of the booth and headed for the man.  "Dimitri Terryn?" he asked.

            The man looked at the elf with deep blue eyes that had an echo of eternity in them, just as Father Time's did.  "Do I know you?"

            "No," Bernard replied bluntly.  "But I know you.  I'm Bernard, and your father sent me to find you."

            "What, another one?  How many people do you run this speech on a day?"  Ebony had come up behind him, holding a cup of some coffee-like concoction and a bagel.  She did not look happy.  "You really are a serial killer, aren't you?"

            "No!"  Bernard rolled his eyes in exasperation.  "I only say things like this when they're true.  Ebony, meet your brother, Dimitri Terryn.  Dimitri, this is your sister, Ebony Hiems."

            "How do you know my name?" Dimitri demanded, drawing back slightly as he plainly considered turning right around and bolting back through the door he'd just entered.

            "Must I say it again?"  Bernard glared.  It was early, and his patience was running out.  "Fine.  Let's go sit, and I'll give you an explanation in detail.  It's far too early to stand here and shout at one another."

            "Explanation first," Ebony said stubbornly.  "_Then I'll go somewhere with you.  Maybe."_

            "You are impossible!" Bernard shouted, losing his temper.

            All he got was a dirty look from the girl behind the counter.  Ebony was immovable.

            "Bernard?"  Hearing the elf yell, Charlie emerged from the booth.  "Is something wrong?"

            Ebony stared at the teenager in open disgust.  "And this is my other brother, I suppose?"

            "I don't think so," Charlie said, frowning.  "I'm Charlie Calvin.  You're… um… Bianca?"

            "Ebony."  She eyed Charlie crossly.  "Have you got an explanation for me?"

            "Well… Bernard could explain better than me," Charlie replied.  "Why don't you go sit and listen?"

            "Because he's a serial killer," Ebony said promptly.

            "I'm not," Bernard began irritably.

"If he wanted to kill you, why did he agree to meet you in a public place like this?" Charlie interrupted reasonably.  "We really are just here to talk to you about your father."

            "My father?"  Dimitri seemed intrigued by this.  "My biological father?  Do you know him?"

            "We've met," Charlie admitted.  "He's a sort of colleague of my father."

            "The one Bernard here works for?"  Ebony was distressingly quick at picking things up.

            "Yep."  Charlie smiled at her.  Bernard scowled.  That boy was entirely too charming.  It shouldn't be allowed at this hour of the morning.

            Ebony looked at him consideringly.  "And how did you know who I am?  Or who this other guy is?"

            "We – your father and mine, that is – have access to some really good sources," Charlie said.  Bernard had to give the boy credit for that – it was an explanation in every sense of the word, except the one where it actually explained things.

            Unfortunately, Dimitri caught this.  "What kind of good sources?" he wanted to know.  His eyes grew dark with suspicion.  "Is this legal?"

            "Yes!" Bernard snapped indignantly.

            Charlie laughed.  "Usually.  Look, you don't have to be scared of us.  We just want to talk, all right?"

            "I'm not scared!" Ebony said sharply.

            "Oh, aren't you?"  Bernard snorted, earning a glare from Ebony and a kick in the ankle from Charlie.

            "Just ignore Bernard," Charlie advised, to the elf's extreme displeasure.  "He gets grouchy in the morning."

            Ebony laughed.  This seemed to overcome the last of her resistance – or at least, her resistance to sitting.  The four of them went back to the table Bernard and Charlie had claimed, to the obvious relief of the girl behind the counter.

            "So, explanation."  Ebony appeared to have quite the one-track mind.  "I don't care who gives it, as long as I get one."

            "Yes, I'd really like to know what's going on," Dimitri added.  "At least you know more than I do about all this.  Why in the world do they think we're related?"

            "I don't know."  Ebony turned to Charlie expectantly.

            Charlie only shrugged.  "Bernard?"

            Bernard sighed.  _Just tell them, and you'll be back at the North Pole all the sooner, he reminded himself.  "All right.  You're brother and sister, and – "_

            "Prove it," Ebony interrupted belligerently.  "You said you'd bring proof.  So where is it?"

            Bernard scowled.  "I'm getting there.  Anyway.  Your father recently learned that he has four children – yes, _four, you have another sister and brother out there somewhere – and I got stuck trying to track you down.  I did get some information on you before I left home, which is how I was able to recognize you."_

            "How did you know I'd come in here, though?" Dimitri asked doubtfully.  "I could have gone into any bread shop in the city."

            "That was either coincidence, destiny, or magic," Bernard said carefully.  "Take your pick.  Where was I?"

            "What information do you have on us?" Ebony asked suspiciously.  "And how did you get hold of it?"

            "Charlie's father has information on most people," Bernard said vaguely.  "And it's nothing spectacular.  I know your full names, your mother's name, where you were born, and who your foster parents or adoptive parents were.  And how to locate you, of course."

            Dimitri drummed his fingers on the table thoughtfully.  "Tell me my mother's name," he suggested at last.  "Birth mother and adoptive mother."

            "Umm…"  Bernard reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper.  "Your birth mother was Gaia Mnemes.  You, Dimitri, were adopted by James and Victoria Scott.  Ebony, you've had a string of foster parents, but the last pair was Tony and Catherine Parker."  He looked up.  "Satisfied?"

            "No.  Why don't we have the same last name?" Ebony demanded.

"Or at least the last name Mnemes?" Dimitri added.  "I've always wondered about that."

            "Your mother specified surnames for each of you," Bernard replied.  "I expect she was trying to make you easier for your father to locate.  She probably didn't realize he had no idea that the four of you existed."

            "Four…" Dimitri said musingly.  "That's right.  What about these other two siblings you say we have?  Who are they?"

            "Bianca Sheiling and Sherwin Lennor.  You'll be introduced once I've tracked them down, too," Bernard told them.  "Are you quite convinced yet?"

            "I… think I rather have to be," Dimitri said reluctantly.  "I really can't think of any other way you could have not only found all this information on me, but also recognized me immediately."

            "There's still something you've left out," Ebony said, when the three males turned to look at her.  "Exactly who _is this father you keep going on about?  Is he famous or something?  You act like you don't dare mention him.  Why not?"_

            "Because this is the part you probably won't believe," Bernard said with a sigh.  "Your father is Father Time."

            There was a brief period of silence, which stretched into a much longer period of silence.  Finally, Dimitri spoke.

            "I don't think I misheard you," he said meditatively, "but I'm going to ask this anyway.  Did you say 'Father Time?'"

            "Yes."

            "As in the mythological personage?"

            "Yes."

            Dimitri's eyebrows knit together in thought.  After another pause, he asked, "And you expect me to believe this?"

            "Not really," Bernard said resignedly.

            "Then can we have the truth, please?" Ebony asked acidly.  "If it's not too much trouble, of course."

            "That was the truth," Bernard said with a scowl, trying not to shout at her again.  Once was more than enough times to lose his temper in an hour.  "I just don't expect you to believe it."

            Ebony stared across the table at the two boys.  "You're mad," she said flatly, standing up.

            "But I can prove it," Bernard said hurriedly.

            Ebony looked down her nose at him, which was especially effective now that she was standing and he was sitting.  "No.  You can fake it.  There's a difference.  I have things to do and places to be.  Waste your time on someone else."

            "Wait!"  Bernard scrambled out of the booth as Ebony marched out of the shop.  Unfortunately, by the time he got to the door, she was already in her car, screeching out of the parking lot.  He scowled.  "Damn."

            "Well, you have to admit, it is kind of a shock," Charlie pointed out reasonably when Bernard returned to the booth and slumped into his seat.  "Remember what my dad was like?"

            "Your father?" Dimitri asked, raising an eyebrow.  "The Sandman, I suppose."

            "No, I don't think he's married," Charlie said seriously.  "My father is Santa Clause."

            Dimitri studied Charlie for a moment.  Then he looked at Bernard, then back to Charlie.  "You think you're telling the truth, don't you?" he said wonderingly.

            "We are," Bernard said simply.

            Dimitri considered this.  "I don't believe you," he decided.

            "Well, of course you don't," Charlie replied with a smile.  "You've been raised human, right?  But we really do have proof."

            "Proof that your father is Santa Clause?"  Skeptical was an understatement of Dimitri's tone.

            "It's more proof that Santa Clause exists, actually," Bernard corrected.  "Or proof that magic exists, at least.  After that, you'll have to take the rest on faith."

            "If you can convince me about the magic part, I'll believe anything you say," Dimitri said with a tolerant smile.

            "Good."  Bernard smiled back.  Now that he'd been awake for a while, he was starting to feel more like himself.  And honestly, he rather liked Dimitri.  "So are you ready to go?"

            Dimitri blinked.  "Go where?"

            Bernard's smile broadened.  This might actually – dare he think it? – be fun.  He didn't often get a chance to show off his magic.  "To follow your sister, of course."  He checked to make sure no one else in the shop could see them.

            Dimitri frowned.  "But how – "

            Bernard cast a transport spell to take them to Ebony's front hall.

            " – will we get…"  Dimitri trailed off, looking around in disbelief.  "How did you do that?"

            Bernard smirked.  "Magic."

            "Magic," Dimitri repeated faintly.  "That's right, you said you were going to prove it.  So where are we?"

            "Ebony's house," Bernard told him.

            Charlie frowned.  "She's not going to be happy about this."

            Bernard rolled his eyes.  "I don't think she's _ever happy."_

            True to this statement, the angry squeal of overworked tires came from the driveway.  The three males waited in silence as they heard Ebony approach and unlock the door.  And open it.  And see them.

            Her mouth dropped open.  For once, she did not appear to have anything to say.

            Bernard waved innocently at her.  "Surprise."

Author's Note:  Wow, Bernard ended up really grouchy in this chapter.  I did want him to be a little touchy, it being early morning and all, but this was a bit more than that.  Ah, well.  Every hero needs his tragic flaw.  Or something like that, anyway.

Zhai'helleva!

- Mystica


	3. Tell Me If You Can

Time Flies

Author's Note:  Hi!  Me again.  Now Bernard gets the pleasure of being shouted at again, and Ebony gets to see some magic.  Dimitri and Ebony get their long-awaited explanation.

Also, I've discovered a difficulty in the way I've set this up, so here's an explanation so things will make sense from now on.  In this story, New York is a happy place that lets people off school Thanksgiving weekend beginning with Wednesday and ending Monday.  So Bernard meets Ebony on Tuesday night, two days before Thanksgiving.  The events in chapters two and three happen Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving.  Just continue with that timeline.

Disclaimer:  I own Ebony Hiems, Dimitri Terryn, Sherwin Lennor, and Bianca Sheiling.  A couple of random ideas about magic and belief belong to Terry Pratchett.  Everything else belongs to Disney.

Thank you everyone who reviewed!  Individual stuff is at the end.

Chapter 3 – Tell Me If You Can 

            Ebony's eyes went from Bernard – to Charlie – to Dimitri – and back to Bernard.

            "_You_," she said ominously, picking the elf as the ringleader of the group of intruders.

            As she began to advance on him, an expression of growing anger on her face, it occurred to Bernard that perhaps teleporting everyone here had not been the most thought-out of plans.  "I can explain," he said quickly, backing away.  The door slammed shut as Ebony moved out of the doorway and began to corner Bernard against the wall, which did not bode well.  "It's like I said, Father Time sent me – "

            "Like hell he did!" Ebony cut him off furiously.  "How did you get in here?  This is breaking and entering!  Not to mention the other charges I'm bringing against you – try harassment, _sexual_ harassment – "

            "I _never_ did!" Bernard cried heatedly.

            "You impersonated my date in a deliberate and malicious attempt to stalk me," Ebony continued relentlessly.  "Oh, stalking, that's another good one.  And slander, of course.  And don't think you'll be able to talk your way out of it, either.  I am going to take you to court, and I am damn well going to see you convicted!"

            "Not to interrupt your rant or anything," Dimitri spoke up as Ebony paused for breath, " but I just wanted to see if you were aware that there are three of us, and only one of you."

            "And now you're threatening me?"  Ebony did not appear daunted.  "You're only digging yourself in deeper, pal.  Besides, none of you are the type to hurt an innocent and defenseless lady."

            Charlie had some problems stifling his snort of laughter.  When Ebony glared viciously at him, he coughed weakly and unconvincingly.  "Uh – something caught in my throat?"

            "I really don't think you quite understand what's going on here."  Bernard tried to get Ebony to see reason.  If that was at all possible with someone currently trapping him in a corner and raging about things that… well, all right, things that he'd _technically_ done, but really, all in her best interests… except for that sexual harassment charge, Bernard had no idea where she'd come up with that…

            "I understand perfectly!" Ebony stormed.  "You have enlisted two otherwise innocent young men to break into my house and try to convince me of your mad delusions of myths and fantasies!"

            "But – "

            "You have made fraudulent and frankly despicable attempts to use my past as an orphan against me for twisted purposes of your own that I don't even want to know about!"

            "I didn't – "

            "You used illegal methods to get information on me that you couldn't have gotten in any other way!"

            "I – "  Bernard stopped his protest.  This was clearly not working.  Time for a new approach.

            He teleported across the room and sat down in a chair, watching her reaction.

            "You – _what the hell_?"  Ebony spun around.  "How did you do that?"

            Bernard smiled smugly.  "Magic."

            Apparently not willing to accept this, Ebony peered around the room, determined to find hidden special effects machines.  "You used mirrors, didn't you?" she demanded.  "I read an article about that when I went to see _The Phantom of the Opera_.  It's all done by mirrors."

            "I haven't got any mirrors," Bernard pointed out logically.

            Unfortunately, logic was lost on Ebony.  "There's a mirror right behind you!" she snapped, pointing at the wall.  There was, indeed, a mirror there.  Presumably it belonged to Ebony, though at this point Bernard wouldn't be surprised to learn it didn't.

            "And what do you think I did with this mirror to make myself move from one part of the room to another?" Bernard asked.  "I suppose I'm not really here at all – only a reflection of me?"

            "Stop encouraging her," Charlie said, giving Bernard a dirty look.  "You'll only upset her even more.  This isn't an easy thing to accept."

            "And I suppose you'd know all about it?" Ebony snapped.  "Rigging the special effects for him, are you?"

            "No," Charlie said patiently.  "Please, Ebony, try to think reasonably for a minute."

            "I am perfectly reasonable!"  Ebony's eyes blazed threateningly as she spun towards the teenager.

            "Right, sure, fine," Charlie said hastily.  "Never said you weren't.  I just want you to think about this with an open mind."

            Ebony glared at him suspiciously.  "If I have an open mind, you might convince me that I'm wrong."

            "You are," Bernard said bluntly.

            "I'm not!" Ebony retorted.  "There's no such thing as magic.  If there's magic in the world, how come I don't know about it already?"

            Bernard rolled his eyes.  "Ever heard of the Salem witch trials?"

            "I did go to school, you know!" Ebony said indignantly.

            "Well, that's why you don't know about it," Bernard told her.  "Besides, do you have any idea how hard it would be for us to do our jobs with humans pestering us every two minutes for some spell or other?"

            Ebony eyed him for a moment, and Bernard assumed she was considering this.  However, her mind appeared to have found something more interesting to think about.  "You can do other spells than jumping around?"

            "You believe me?"  This was unexpected.  Bernard wondered what had happened to convince her.

            "I want to see you try magic," Ebony replied, taking a seat directly opposite Bernard.  She leaned back, folding her arms challengingly.  "So what else do you think you can do?"

            "I don't just think, I _know_," Bernard said, irked.  "I can teleport, but you've seen that.  I'm also good at telepathy, but it's rude to try that without permission.  I suppose I could try telekinetics.  It's not really my specialty, but I'm not bad at it."

            "Making things move?"  Ebony thought about this, then shook her head.  "Too easy to rig."

            "In the thirty seconds we were here before you came?" Bernard asked incredulously.  "You've got to be joking."

            "You could have come earlier," Ebony said haughtily.  "I mean, you've just proved you can break in perfectly easily.  You could have got in while I was asleep at night and fixed wires to things."  Having rekindled her own suspicions, Ebony glanced at her possessions in distrust.

            "And these wires – they'd be invisible, would they?"  Bernard shook his head.  "No, never mind.  What do you expect me to do, then?  Empathy can't be demonstrated, and I'm no good at reading the past or the future."

            "Do something else, then," Ebony commanded.

            Bernard stared at her.  "I can't.  That's it.  There aren't any other forms of magic."  This wasn't strictly true, since different races had different abilities, but those six were the only forms of magic elves could do. 

            "No fireballs?  No force fields?  No mass destruction?"  Ebony sounded almost disappointed.

            "No!"  Bernard scowled.  "What do you take me for?  Look, if you want a demonstration, it's one of those forms.  Otherwise I'll teleport you halfway across the world and leave you there to decide how real _that_ is!"

            His outburst did not appear to faze Ebony, possibly because she made so many outbursts herself that she was used to them.  "Ok," she decided.  "You can read my mind."

            Bernard blinked.  "What?"

            "You said it was all right if I gave you permission.  So tell me what I'm thinking right now."  Ebony stared fixedly into the air above his head, apparently concentrating on something or other.

            Bernard hesitated.  It really was considered bad manners, verging on being actually forbidden, to read a mind without the person's consent.  And permission or not, Ebony really didn't know what she was saying.  For one thing, she wasn't a telepath, so she wouldn't have any shields.  He could read _any_ part of her mind, not just the part she wanted him to see.  Not that he'd do so deliberately – he did have some moral standards, thank you very much – but he might not be able to avoid seeing some of it.

            Ebony's gaze snapped back to the elf.  "Well?" she demanded.  "Or are you a lying serial killer after all?"

            Bernard's eyes narrowed.  If she'd expected any privacy, she shouldn't have given him permission to read her mind in the first place.  He _Reached_ for her mind with his.

            _:: …how long I can string them along.  I can't remember the last time I was so amused.  This is better entertainment than cable – _and_ it's free.  Just like – hey!  What's he doing, staring at me like that?  He'd better not be checking me out.  Wow, he looks kinda angry.  Why – oh, I was supposed to think about stuff for him, wasn't I?  Eh, what does it matter, he can't really read my mind anyway – ::_

            "Oh, can't I?" Bernard interrupted her train of thought, withdrawing his mind with a snap.  "Why did you ask me to try reading your mind, if you're so convinced I can't?  And furthermore, get it through your unnaturally colored head that I have no interest in 'checking you out,' as you so charmingly put it, so you can just pop that inflated ego of yours!  Understand?"

            Ebony's eyes were wide.  "You did it," she breathed in – was that _awe_?  Yes, it was.  She was in awe of him.  "You actually read my mind."

            "I told you I would," Bernard said, now seriously angry.  "Are you quite through doubting, or would you like more of a show?  Amusing, am I?  Free entertainment?  I'll give you free entertainment, you ungrateful little spawn of Time!  How would you like to be stranded in Russia?  The questions from the government would sure be entertaining – from my point of view!"

            "Bernard!"  It was only when Charlie grabbed the elf's arm that Bernard realized this was the third time the teenager had tried to get his attention.

            "What?"

            Charlie looked into Bernard's eyes firmly.  "Calm.  Down."  When he was convinced the elf wouldn't fly into another rage without added provocation, he released Bernard's arm.  "Look – you've upset her again."

            "She's upset me!" Bernard snarled.  "Entertainment!  Did you hear her?"

            "No," Charlie said, his patience starting to sound forced.  "This would be because she was thinking it.  Unlike you, I can't read minds."

            "Oh."  Bernard blinked.  "Well, she thinks we're here solely for her amusement.  She has been _deliberately_ making things difficult for us, for no reason whatever."

            "Can I say something?" Ebony asked, getting over her shock at the long rant she'd been subjected to.

            "No!"

            Charlie ignored Bernard.  "Yes.  But I'd really rather you didn't try to make this harder than it has to be."

            "I won't," Ebony assured him.  "I just wanted to say that I still think that disbelieving you was completely justifiable.  And I admit I did try to cause you problems – which I won't apologize for."  She glared defiantly at Bernard, who glowered right back at her.  "I cause problems for everyone.  If I stopped just because people don't like it, I'd never get anything done."

            "I don't suppose you could stop for a while?" Charlie asked hopefully.  "You saw that Bernard really did read your mind – give us a chance to explain it."

            "Ok."

            Bernard gaped at her.  "That's it?  _Ok_?  After everything you've put me through to convince you – _ok_?"

            "What, you wanted a refusal?"  Ebony shrugged.  "Ok is what you get."  She gestured to the other chairs.  "Sit down, if you like."

            Dimitri, who had been watching from the hallway while trying to stay as uninvolved as possible, entered the room and chose to sit on the couch beside Ebony.  Bernard didn't envy him the position.  Realizing that at some point during his tirade he'd gotten up, he sat back down, facing the two children of Time.  Charlie sat to their left, on the front of the elevated brick fireplace.

            "So magic does exist," Dimitri said thoughtfully, once they were all settled.

            "You bet it does," Bernard replied.  "It comes from either birth or belief.  You have birth magic, coming from your heritage as Father Time's children."

            "I always thought Father Time was just a myth," Ebony said suspiciously.

            "He is," Bernard said.  "Who says myths can't be real?  Most myths are.  Charlie is the son of Santa Clause."

            Ebony turned to peer at Charlie in disbelief.  "You're kidding."

            "Nope."  Charlie smiled brightly.  "Honest to goodness.  Dad took me up to the North Pole when I was little, and Mom called the police to get him arrested for kidnapping."

            "You know, I think I remember reading about that in the papers," Dimitri said, frowning.  "They were all making a big fuss because this man thought he was Santa Clause and made his son believe they were going to the North Pole.  That was you?"

            Charlie nodded.  "Mom and Neil – my step dad – reacted pretty much the same way you two did.  They thought Dad was a lunatic."

            "Wait a second."  Ebony's eyebrows knit together in a frown.  "Your dad is Santa Clause, right?  So why didn't he tell your mom when he married her in the first place?"

            "He wasn't Santa then," Bernard explained.  "Look, Santa's magic is based on children's belief in Christmas.  He's not magical in himself, but he gets magical powers as the physical manifestation of the spirit of Christmas.  However, Santa is still mortal, so he can still die.  Once a person becomes Santa, he usually stays for around seventy to one hundred years, barring accidents."

            "So the former Santa died and Charlie's father became the new Santa."  Dimitri paused in thought.  "But how did you find him?  Or did you just pick someone at random?"

            "The old Santa fell off Dad's roof," Charlie told them.  "Dad found the sleigh, put on the suit and delivered the toys, and when the reindeer took him back to the North Pole, Bernard said that Dad had to be the new Santa."

            Ebony smirked.  "So what you're saying is, your dad offed the old guy to get the job."

            "No!"  Bernard glared at her.  "Don't say that about Santa!"

            "Well, anyway, we can give you my background later," Charlie interrupted, cutting off the argument.  "Your magic isn't based on belief, so this isn't really important.  Right, Bernard?"

            "Right."  Bernard decided to look at Dimitri, since Ebony was too upsetting to pay attention to.  "Father Time has the other kinds of magic.  He was born with the ability to control Time.  He isn't immortal, but he's very old – nearly as old as Time itself.  Since his magic is a part of him, it passes on to his descendants – the four of you."

            Bernard stopped talking for a moment to give them a chance to absorb this.  Finally, Dimitri said, "So, supposing we really do have magic, why don't we know about it?"

            "Right now, your magic is hidden in your subconscious," Bernard explained.  "You're half magical, but you're also half human.  That tends not to work out too well – the human half can't accept the magical half.  However, the magic is still there, affecting the world around you."

            "So I could subconsciously stop time if I wanted to?"  Ebony sounded a little too pleased with that idea.

            "Don't joke about that!" Bernard snapped.  "You could, and it would be a disaster!  That's why I had to take time away from my work to come find you.  You've already started changing Time in little ways, and you have to be stopped from doing anything worse."

            "Stopped how?" Dimitri asked guardedly.  "That sounds a little too like killing us for the good of humanity."

            "Nothing that bad," Bernard assured him.  "Once I've found your brother and sister, I'll take you to meet your father.  Then you get to decide whether you want to become entirely human or entirely magical.  If you want to be human, you'll be like Charlie – you'd get visiting privileges, and you'd be able to see and talk to any of the other magical people you meet.  Other than that, your life would play out normally, with the usual human lifespan."

            "What if we want to be magical?" Ebony prompted, when he paused.

            "I was getting to that."  Bernard scowled at her.  "If you choose to become magical, there are positions in the Workings of Time that you can fill.  Right now, the Moments – Father Time's assistants – do these things, but it's really a big job for them.  Each season is meant to have a supervisor.  I guess those of you who want to stay would pick a season and take control of it.  Your magic would surface then, of course, so your father would train you, and you'd have a much longer lifespan."

            "How long do we have to think this over?" Dimitri wanted to know.

            "A while yet," Bernard told him.  "I still have to find Bianca and Sherwin.  Then, after you've met Father Time and spent some time with him in the Workings of Time, you'll make a decision."

            "How are you going to find those other two?" Ebony asked.  "For that matter, how'd you find _us_?"  She looked at him suspiciously.

            Before she could come up with another crazy theory like the mirror idea, Bernard said, "I have a magical compass.  It tells me how to find each of you once you enter New York.  It also produces a force drawing you towards it."

            "That's what made me go into that bread shop," Dimitri said in realization.

            "Exactly."  Bernard nodded, pleased at how well they understood so far.  "The power drawing your siblings should be stronger, as long as you're close to the compass."

            "I want to see this compass," Ebony said.

            "What, do you think I'm making it up?"  Bernard shook his head.  "Don't answer that.  All right."  He took the chain from around his neck and handed it over.  "Don't break it."

            "I don't break things," Ebony said absently, studying the device.  "It's got my name on it.  And a little button."  Before Bernard could say anything, she pressed the button beside her name.  Her name glowed silver, and the arrow in the center spun to point at her.  She laughed delightedly.  "Hey, this is great!  I want one."

            "There aren't any others.  Your father had this one made specially," Bernard told her, staring at her in astonishment.  He hadn't expected her to be so elated at a simple magical tool.  Apparently, he'd misjudged her at some point.

            "Oh.  Ah, well."  Ebony passed it back without any argument.  "Can I have it once you've found the other two?"

            "I don't see why not," Bernard said, shrugging.  "I won't want it."

            "Getting back on topic, may I ask a question?"  Dimitri regained their attention.  "We've established that Ebony and I are the children of Father Time.  Also, Charlie here is Santa Clause's son.  I think I understand all that.  What I don't understand is why Santa Clause sent someone to find us instead of Father Time."

            "Didn't I say?"  Bernard frowned.  "I guess I didn't.  Well, Father Time only has the Moments under his command.  The Moments are little fairies – fine at dealing with Time, but not so good at interacting with the human world.  But Santa Clause does have workers who can move in this world, if need be."

            Dimitri looked blank.  However, an expression of fiendish glee had started to grow on Ebony's face.  "You aren't human, are you?" she said, grinning wickedly.  "You're an elf."

            "An elf."  Dimitri gazed intently at Bernard.  "Is she right?"

            "Yes," Bernard admitted, much as he disliked granting her the victory of guessing correctly.

            "You know, I never wondered why you kept that hat covering your ears."  Dimitri laughed.  "I should have picked up on that.  After all, you did say you work for Santa Clause."

            "Well, I – hey!"  Bernard snatched at his hat, but it was in vain.  Ebony had already removed it.  She studied his ears with the same delight she'd displayed over the compass.  

"They're pointy!"

            "Of course they're pointy," Bernard snapped irritably.  "They're elf ears.  _My_ ears, to be more specific.  As in, attached to my head.  And I do not appreciate you gawking at them."

            "But they're cute!" Ebony said, sounding like she was about fifteen years younger.  "Can I touch one?"

            "No!"  Bernard jerked away from the madwoman.  Why in the world would she want to touch his ears?  Maybe she'd been warped by her half-magical heritage.  The alternatives didn't bear thinking about.

            "Ok, then."  Ebony shrugged philosophically and returned to her seat.

            "So anyway," Dimitri said, giving his sister an odd glance, "now what happens?  We just stick with you and your compass until our other siblings show up?"

            "But I have things to do," Ebony objected.  "I'm not hanging around waiting who knows how long for these two people to show up."

            "It won't be that long," Bernard told her.  "Two weeks at the most."

            "Two _weeks_?"

            "That's right," Bernard snapped.  "Two weeks.  And since I have to be _here_ with you instead of at the North Pole where I'm supposed to be, you can just shut up and deal with it."

            "Oh, come on, I'm sure Santa has millions of elves," Ebony said dismissively.

            "He doesn't, you know," Charlie told her.  "This close to Christmas, it might be near a thousand, but it's usually less.  There are lots of elves living at the North Pole, but they don't all work for Santa.  Most of them just live there, like ordinary people."

            "We are ordinary people," Bernard protested.  "Well… except for the magic part.  And the living for thousands of years part.  But other than that!"

            "Thousands of…"  Dimitri trailed off, peering at Bernard.  "You are that old, aren't you?  I can… sort of tell… by looking at you."

            Ebony followed suit, examining Bernard in a way that made him feel like a broken toy under the magnifying glass.  "I can, too," she said, surprised.  "You're two thousand, one hundred, and fifty-four, aren't you?"

            "Um."  Bernard thought for a second.  "I think so."

            "You _think_ so?"  Ebony raised an eyebrow.  "Don't you know?"

            "No, as a matter of fact, I don't," Bernard said defensively.  "After the first few centuries, you start losing track."

            "Well, you've aged well," Dimitri said, preventing the conversation from escalating into something nastier.  "You don't look two thousand."

            "Humans and elves age differently," Bernard said shortly.

            "Well."  Ebony stood up.  "All aging aside, I still have places to go.  Your compass will just have to do with only one of us."

            "Where exactly do you plan to go?" Bernard wanted to know, standing so that they were on an equal level.

            "A museum," she told him condescendingly.  "For my art history class on the Renaissance.  The professor said that Thanksgiving weekend it may be, but he still wanted us to visit a museum."

            "Can't you wait a few days?" Bernard asked, trying not to beg.  "The longer you stay near this compass, the quicker it will all be over."

            Ebony shrugged.  "That's your problem, not mine.  I'm going to the Metropolitan museum.  You can do what you like."

            "We could go with you," Charlie suggested hopefully.  "I like the museum."

            "Well, I don't really have anything else to do," Dimitri said, standing so he didn't have to look up at the other two.  "If you want us to stick together, we can do that just as well at the museum as here."  He paused.  "However, I do have one request."

            Bernard sighed in resignation.  "What?"

            Dimitri looked slightly awkward.  "Can we go back to that bread shop?  My car's still there."

            "Aren't you done yet?"  Charlie slumped on a bench in one of the many – far too many – galleries Ebony had dragged them into.  "We've seen thousands of paintings."

            Ebony paid no attention to him, studying the paintings with interest.

            "Bernard?"  Seeing that Ebony couldn't care less, Charlie switched the object of his pleas.  "Are we done?  We've been here all morning."

            "Hmm?"  Bernard looked up.  Like Charlie, he'd actually seemed to like visiting the museum at first.  Unlike Charlie, he'd continued to like it after they'd been there for hours.  "You said you'd stay if Ebony wanted to."

            "But it's boring," Charlie complained.  Some of the other museum patrons shot him dirty looks.

            Dimitri laid a hand on Charlie's shoulder.  "You shouldn't say that," he whispered.  "Or at least, not so loudly."

            "It isn't boring," Bernard said, frowning.  "I thought you liked art."

            "Teenage boys might like art in small doses," Dimitri said, "but you have to admit, this is a lot for him."

            "That's because you haven't been paying proper attention to the paintings," Ebony told him firmly.  "Look at this one here."  Ignoring Charlie's protests, she grabbed his hand and marched him over to one of the paintings.  "Isn't it interesting?"

            Charlie gave in and looked at the painting dutifully.  _A Hunt in the Forest_, it was called.  He thought it looked rather dull – just a bunch of guys prancing around on horses.  "It's… very nice," he told Ebony.  "But… it's not that good, is it?  Kind of like a cartoon?"

            Ebony gave him a withering look.  "This is one of the early works on perspective, this is," she told him, irritated.  "Can't you at least _try_ to see beyond the Saturday morning aspect?"

            "Um."  Charlie stared at it a moment more.  "It's very green."

            "Green?"  Bernard had come up behind them, and he was staring at Charlie in incredulity.  "You can't say anything about this painting but _green_?"

            "You should hear what he said about it earlier," Ebony said ominously.  "A cartoon, he called it.  A cartoon – about a painting by the man who first used perspective in art!"

            Bernard frowned.  "What, Uccello?"  He shook his head.  "No, Uccello wasn't the first, that was Masaccio."

            "Ruskin said it was Uccello," Ebony insisted.

            "Well, he was deluded," Bernard said positively.  "It was Masaccio.  I remember."

            Charlie sighed, taking advantage of this to escape back to the bench where Dimitri was.  "I thought they didn't like each other," he grumbled.

            Dimitri laughed.  "That was until Ebony realized that he lived through all the art periods she's studying.  Now I think she views him as a talking history book."

            "That she can have screaming matches with," Charlie added, as Bernard shouted something about Uccello being a daft old lunatic who'd preferred to mess about with perspective than spend time with his wife.  Ebony's reply was extremely rude, and not at all fair to poor Masaccio.

It was at that point that one of the security guards came to make very pointed remarks about how some people like to experience art in peace and quiet.  Ebony did not take well to this suggestion.

            Ten minutes later, they were on the street outside the museum.

            "I can't believe you got kicked out of the art museum," Charlie said, trying not to grin.  It was a lost cause.

            "We didn't get kicked out," Bernard told him.  "We just… chose to leave at a time when we were no longer wanted."

            Ebony sniffed.  "This is entirely your fault," she said to Bernard.

            "_My_ fault?"  He gaped at her.  "You're the one with the delusions about Uccello and perspective!"

            "You're the one who called me a liar," Ebony said haughtily.

            "No, I said you had wrong information," Bernard said.  "It's different."

            "Look," Dimitri interrupted soothingly, "both artists are dead now, anyway.  Does it really matter either way?"

            "_Yes_!"  Bernard and Ebony glared at him.

            "Fine."  Dimitri sighed and shrugged.  "Go ahead and argue, then.  I won't stop you."

            As they headed for the two cars – Ebony's and Dimitri's – Dimitri whispered to Charlie, "So, do you think Santa and Father Time will get together and ground them for getting kicked out of a museum?"

            Ebony and Bernard looked up suspiciously at the sound of laughter, but they decided it couldn't possibly be as interesting as dead artists.  They went back to their current argument.

Author's Note:  Hope I didn't lose anyone's interest with the art history.  I'm trying to develop a connection between Bernard and Ebony, and art seems to be the way to go about it.  And if anyone cares at all, the first person to use perspective was in fact Masaccio.  Sorry, Ebony.

For those of you interested in the picture Bernard and Ebony were arguing about, it is _A Hunt in the Forest_ by Paolo Uccello.  Here's a link if you want to look at it:  

Thank you, everyone who reviewed this!

**CrystalHorse72** – I like Dimitri, too, but I have to say I like Ebony better.  Dimitri might be a better person in general, but Ebony's more fun to write.  Though I agree – neither comes close to Bernard. ^_^

**The Book Worm** – Thank you!  I like this fic, too, and I don't plan to drop it.  I'm also working on the next DOY part.  It's shorter, so it might be done sooner.

**Kitty the drunken butterfly** – Ooh, thanks for the quote!  I may have to add that in somehow.  The title actually has a double meaning.  You'll find out exactly what later.

**Crescent Dreamweaver** – Yay!  Another Mercedes Lackey fan!  I'm used to people not knowing what I'm talking about when I sign off with "zhai'helleva."  Oh, and who says this isn't going to be a romantic fic?

Zhai'helleva!

 - Mystica


	4. Two Turtledoves

Time Flies

Author's Note:  And now it starts to get really interesting.  We meet the third of the quadruplets, who is entirely too blonde for everyone's good.  Also, Bernard's past is hinted at, and we get some revelations about why Ebony is the way she is.

Disclaimer:  The four original characters are mine.  All else is the property of Disney.  I've only borrowed the characters for my own amusement.  Specific quotes and so forth are cited at the end of the chapter.

**Chapter 4 – Two Turtledoves**

            "So Bernard," Scott said with a smile, "how's the Time project going?"

            It was Thanksgiving, and Scott and Carol had come to have dinner at the Millers' house.  Bernard, being there anyway, had also been invited.  The meal was now over, and – Carol having forbidden talk of work at the table – Santa and the Head Elf were getting their first chance to discuss Bernard's mission.

            "Well…"  Bernard considered.  "Overall, it could be worse.  I've already found two of them."

            "Already?"  Scott was surprised.  "That's pretty quick.  I might have you back sooner than I'd expected."

            "Maybe.  I suppose it depends on the next two," Bernard said with a shrug.  "And on whether I can put up with the two I've already found."

            "They can't be that bad," Scott protested, laughing.

            "Well, Dimitri's not," Bernard admitted.  "But Ebony – good Lord, the girl's impossible!  I spend half my time being shouted at."

            "Don't let him fool you, Dad," Charlie said with a grin, taking a seat beside his father.  "Bernard spends the other half of his time shouting right back."

            "Trying to uphold the honor of the North Pole," Bernard added quickly.

            Scott matched Charlie's grin.  "Sounds to me like you and this girl are getting along just fine," he said, not in the least sympathetic.  "Someone to argue with is exactly what you need, and the elves don't usually oblige you."

            Bernard ignored this.  "So the plan is still the same?  I bring them to the North Pole once I've got all of them together?"

            "It's that or Mother Nature's Atlantis," Scott agreed.  "And since you're from the North Pole anyway, it's easier for you to just go there."

            "I still don't see why Father Time couldn't have a homeland like everyone else," Charlie grumbled.  "It would make things easier."

            "Probably.  But where would it be?" Bernard pointed out.  "There's nowhere in the Workings of Time for someone to live."

            "Besides, Father Time likes sponging off Mother Nature," Scott said cheerfully.  "That's what siblings are for, right?"

            "Can I quote you on that to Lucy?" Charlie asked.

            "Sure, if you can get her to listen.  So anyway," Scott turned back to Bernard, "can you teleport them all to the North Pole at once?"

            "Definitely not," Bernard said firmly.  "I can jump them around New York without a problem, but I'll need help to get them to the North Pole.  I could probably manage two of them, if another teleporter came to take the other two.  Quentin, maybe.  He's good enough to carry people with him on that long a jump."

            Scott nodded.  "I'll let him know.  When do you think you should be ready to bring them back?"

            "You mean when will I find them?"  Bernard shook his head.  "Honestly, I have no idea.  But tomorrow, I'm spending the day with them again in the hopes that it will bring either Bianca or Sherwin out of hiding."

            "Doing anything in particular?" Scott wanted to know.  "Going to get thrown out of the mall, maybe?"

            Bernard favored Scott with a dirty look.  "That was entirely Ebony's fault," he said with dignity.

            "Not the way Charlie tells it," Scott said, grinning conspiratorially at his son.

            "Traitor."  Bernard glared at both of them.  "As a matter of fact, they're coming here.  Laura thought it would reassure them to see that being normal is still possible, even though they're related to a mythical figure."

            "So you're introducing them to Neil?"  Scott was horrified.  "I thought you wanted to calm them, not terrify them."

            "Very funny, Scott."  Laura sent him a Look as she, Carol, and Neil joined the other three.

            "And you remember what I told you," Carol added severely.  "Business is off-limits today."

            "That was just during dinner," Scott protested.  However, with Carol there to listen, the conversation drifted away from Bernard's mission and towards approved topics, such as whether or not Neil's gravy had been lumpy, and if anyone saved room for pie.

            "They're going to be late."  Neil looked up at the clock.  "It's five to seven, and neither of them is here yet."

            "They won't be late," Bernard snapped, irritable after two days of doing nothing.  Dimitri had insisted on going to visit his adopted family – the reason he'd thought he'd had for coming out to New York – and Ebony had said that if her brother got to play hooky, so did she.  She'd gone off somewhere with other art history students, without telling anyone where.  Bernard had had no choice but to allow them the time away from the compass.

            "They're Father Time's children," Charlie said helpfully.  "Bernard said earlier that means they'll be right on time."

            "Unless they decide not to show up after all."

            "Stop being so grouchy, Bernard," Charlie said sternly.  "They promised to be here."

            "Which means nothing," Bernard said.  "They could – "

            _Ding-dong._

            Charlie smirked.  "You were saying?"  He went to answer the door, and returned with Ebony and Dimitri in tow.

            "We meet again."  Ebony quirked an ironic eyebrow at Bernard.  "Going to introduce us?"

            "If you let me talk."  Bernard glared at her.  "These are the Millers.  Charlie you've met.  This is Neil, and his wife, Laura.  The little girl is Lucy."  The family members in question waved or smiled as they were mentioned.  "These are Dimitri Terryn and Ebony Hiems."

            "It's very nice to meet you," Dimitri said politely.  "Thank you for letting us come here.  It really is reassuring to know that there can be normality in this kind of situation."

            "Only most of the time," Laura said with a smile.  "Sit down, please."  Ebony and Dimitri did so.  "Would you like something to drink?  Coffee, water, juice…"

            "Coffee would be great," Dimitri said.  "Black, please."

            "Coffee," Ebony added.  "Two sugars."

            "Right."  Laura left.

            "So."  Neil looked at Ebony – or more specifically, her hair.  "That's a very interesting hair color.  Is it natural?"

            Ebony gave him a look of disgust.  "Don't be stupid, of course not."

            "Well, you are part magical," Neil defended himself.  "And you don't normally see green hair."

            "Exactly."  Ebony smirked.  "If I'd dyed it blonde, or something else boring, what would we be talking about right now?"

            "Your hair as a conversation piece?"  Neil nodded thoughtfully.  "Interesting."

            "What do you mean, interesting?" Ebony demanded, alarmed.  "That sounded analytical."  Her eyes narrowed.  "You aren't from the government, are you?"

            "I'm a psychiatrist," Neil explained quickly.

            "And before you ask, he's not here to lock you up in a room with padded walls," Laura said, entering.  She'd dug out a tray from somewhere, and on it were seven cups.  "Three black coffees," Laura gave one to Dimitri, one to Neil, and one to Bernard "one double sugar," she passed Ebony hers, "one with cream," she set it on the coffee table in front of her own seat, "and two cocoas."  The last two cups were given to Charlie and Lucy, both of whom had been deemed too young for coffee.

            "Nice memory," Ebony said approvingly.

            Laura blinked, then simply accepted the compliment.  "Thank you."  She looked at Ebony and Dimitri.  "So do you two have any questions about living with magic?  Anything we'd be able to answer?"

            "Not really," Dimitri said, after a moment's consideration.  "I know there are a lot of things I'm curious about, but I doubt you could tell me about any of it."

            "We're here because Bernard couldn't bear to be separated from us," Ebony said sweetly.

            "Because you need to be near this compass so this whole problem can be resolved and I can go back to the North Pole where I belong," Bernard corrected sharply.

            "Then why don't you just give the compass to one of us?" Ebony asked, being deliberately argumentative.

            "Because Dimitri doesn't know enough to answer questions," Bernard told her.  "You, I don't trust at all."

            Ebony smiled mockingly.  "I'm flattered.  Because of course you know I trusted you unconditionally from the first."

            Dimitri and Charlie snorted with laughter.  Charlie half choked in an unsuccessful attempt to appear to be coughing, but Dimitri didn't bother trying to disguise it.  He'd judged his sister well – she was delighted to have provided them with amusement.

            Bernard was less than delighted, however, and he was about to make a sarcastic remark to that effect when – 

            _Ding-dong._

            Laura frowned.  "I wasn't expecting anyone else."  Nevertheless, she went to answer it.

            Bernard watched her go, an odd expression on his face.  "Why do I have the strangest premonition about who that will be?"

            Neil stared at Bernard.  "Did you – "

            He was cut off when Laura came back, followed by an extremely pretty girl with bouncy blonde curls.  Resignedly, Bernard pulled out his compass and checked it.  Sure enough, it registered that Bianca Sheiling was now in the room with them.

            "You'll be Bianca, then?"  Bernard stood to greet her.  "My name is Bernard.  You're probably wondering what made you come here – "

            "Oh, not at all," Bianca interrupted earnestly.  "I've been feeling the psychic vibes for days, but I wanted to wait to try to analyze them before doing anything about it."

            "Analyze them?" Bernard repeated blankly.  He was having trouble following this conversation.  According to what he knew about magic, she wasn't making any sense.  And she talked far too fast.

            "Oh, yes!"  Bianca smiled brightly.  "I've always just _known_ things – amazing, really.  And I can figure things out if I think about them long enough.  Except it's awfully hard – thinking about them, I mean.  It takes so much concentration to figure out what things like those power vibes are.  Were you the one sending them out?"  She giggled.  "Did you want to draw me to you?"

            _She giggles.  Wonderful._  Bernard tried to hide his disgust.  "I've been trying to locate you and your siblings.  You're a quadruplet, and your father sent me to find you, your two brothers, and your sister."

            "Really?"  Bianca bounced up and down on the soles of her feet.  "That's so cool!  You know, I've always felt this _connection_ stretching out to other people in the world.  Those must be my siblings.  I've always wanted brothers and sisters, you know.  Are they those people there?"  She pointed at Ebony, Dimitri, and Charlie.

            "Why don't I introduce you?" Bernard broke in as she paused for breath.  "The woman who brought you in is Laura Miller.  That man is Neil Miller, her husband.  Lucy Miller is the little girl – excuse me, young lady," Bernard corrected himself at Lucy's indignant expression, "and the teenage boy is Charlie Calvin.  The other two are your siblings – Dimitri Terryn and Ebony Hiems."

            "Oh my God!"  Bianca rushed over to grab Ebony's and Dimitri's hands.  "We are so totally one in spirit, aren't we?  I can just see it in your eyes."  She leaned in close enough to kiss Dimitri, peering intently into his face.  Dimitri leaned back, trying to put some distance between them.  "We have a family resemblance," she announced, pleased.  "The same eyes – ever so blue.  Do you know, I've never ever seen anyone with eyes this color?"

            "You get them from your father," Bernard told her.  He looked over at Laura and Neil, both of whom looked very bewildered.  "I didn't know she was going to come here now.  I would have warned you if I had."

            "Didn't you know?" Bianca asked, before either of the Millers got a chance to answer.  "But I thought it was your spell.  It felt ever so powerful.  I don't think you could have done that without noticing."

            "It's a long story."  Bernard sighed.  Hadn't he just gone through this explanation?  "I bet Ebony and Dimitri would like it if you sat down, you know."

             Bianca waited for Bernard to sit on the couch beside Charlie, then squeezed herself in beside him, much to the elf's dismay.  "Is this better?"  She smiled prettily.

            Bernard grimaced, choosing not to answer that question.  "All right.  Now, what I'm going to tell you may sound strange, but it's true, and I can prove it."

            "Am I an alien being?" Bianca interrupted, sounding unduly excited about the prospect.  "Like Mork from Ork?"

            "Um."  Bernard blinked, then decided it was best not to ask.  "No, not really.  You are, however, partly magical."

            "Oh, is that all?"  Bianca pouted in disappointment.  "I already knew that.  I thought you were going to tell me something interesting."

            Bernard stared at her.  "There is no way you could possibly have known this."

            "Oh, yes, there is," Ebony said sourly.  "Weren't you listening?  She's 'in tune' with the 'psychic vibes.'"  Bernard could _hear_ the quotation marks dropping into place.

            Bianca ignored the sarcasm – or maybe she just didn't notice it.  "Exactly!"  She beamed at her sister.  "Have you felt it, too?"

            Ebony glowered at the blonde girl.  "Not even once."

            "Oh.  You must be the un-psychic sibling."  Bianca nodded knowingly.  "I've read books about this!  Well… a book.  Actually, the book jacket.  But it was written by a doctor, and he must know what he was talking about.  He had all sorts of little letters after his name and everything."

            "That's not quite the standard for judging accuracy," Neil said, his voice a cross between appalled and amused.

            "But it was all written down!" Bianca objected.  "They wouldn't let him write that down if it wasn't true, would they?"  She turned to Bernard.  He leaned away.  "They wouldn't, would they?"

            "I don't know."  Bernard tried to casually inch away from Bianca and towards Charlie.  "Why don't we get back to the important part?  Bianca, you're the daughter of Father Time."

            Bianca nodded.  "Yeah, ok."

            Bernard frowned slightly.  "You do know who Father Time is, right?"

            "Of _course_.  He's the man everyone talks about on New Year's.  He becomes a little baby at the beginning of every year!" Bianca said happily.

            "Not exactly."  Bernard repressed a sigh.  This girl was getting to be extremely tiresome.  She was starting to remind him a little too much of certain female elves that – well, that he didn't really want to think about again.  Ever.  "He's the mythical presence who controls Time.  He does not change shape during the year, but he does look very old.  He lives with his sister, Mother Nature.  Once I've located your other brother, you and your siblings can meet your father."

            "All right."  Bianca smiled beguilingly.  "Will you come with us?"

            "Yes."  Bernard crept a little more towards Charlie.  "I'll have to take you there."

            "Oh, I'm glad."  Bianca giggled.  Again.  "A girl likes to have a big strong man around to protect her."  She began walking her fingers up his arm.

            Bernard stood up hastily.  "Laura, didn't you say you wanted help in the kitchen?"

            "What would I want help with?" Laura asked innocently.  She and Neil – damn them both – were trying to hide smiles.  Bernard couldn't see Dimitri's face, but judging by the way the young man's shoulders were shaking, he found the situation equally entertaining.  And the elf just refused to look at Ebony.

            "Sit back down," Bianca invited, with no embarrassment whatsoever.  "There's so much more I want you to tell me."

            "I – um – left something in the kitchen."  Bernard edged towards the door.  "I'll just… go get it… and then come back.  Later.  After I've found it."

            Bernard bolted through the door into the kitchen, and collapsed into one of the chairs at the table.  _I want to go home,_ he thought, propping his head on his hands.  He missed the North Pole, with its silvery snow – none of this grey slushy muck – and its cheerful bustle.  And he most definitely missed the elf girls he worked with, who never, under any circumstances, tried to throw themselves at him.  He had made it clear centuries ago that he did not appreciate that kind of thing.

            It wasn't that Bianca wasn't pretty, because she was.  It was that he'd learned to be suspicious of the girls who worked to make themselves seem attractive and charming.  Bianca didn't seem to be concealing anything more dangerous than a slight tendency to be an airhead, but he still didn't want her that close to him.  Now, he would always shy away from the slightly artificial women like her.

            "Hey, Bernard?"  Charlie entered the kitchen.  "Are you ok?"

            "What?  Oh, yes, I'm fine."  Bernard looked hastily around.  "I was just looking for – "

            "Nah, it's ok, you don't have to pretend," Charlie interrupted.  "Everyone saw right through it, anyway."

            "Wonderful."  Bernard slouched down in the chair, trying to disappear into the floor.

            "Bianca didn't mind," Charlie said, apparently thinking this was what upset the elf.  "She tried to flirt with Neil, but he told her to stop.  Then she tried it with Dimitri."

            "Her brother?"  Bernard looked up in horror.

            Charlie shrugged.  "I think she's just playing.  Anyway, Mom said to tell you Ebony went out."

            "Out?"  Bernard rolled his eyes.  "She would.  Did she say anything about meeting up again?  There's still a fourth – "

            "No, no, that's not what I meant," Charlie cut him off.  "She went out to walk around.  She got mad at Bianca and called her some nasty names."

            "Oh, Lord."  Bernard stood up.  "I'd better go after her.  She and her sister can fight till kingdom come if they want to – but they'd better wait to do it until _after_ I get them to their father."

            "Ok."  Some of the tension had gone out of Charlie's shoulders.  He'd been worried – for Ebony's sake?  Or because this might cause problems?  "She went down towards the park.  I'll let everyone know you're going after her."  He left the room.

            Bernard snorted softly as he let himself out through the back door.  "Stupid girl," he muttered.  "I think she causes trouble deliberately."

            Starting on the walk towards the park, Bernard pulled the compass out to consult it.  Yes, this was definitely the direction Ebony had taken.  He traced her to the park, dodging humans either strolling in the new-fallen snow or rushing to get somewhere before the sky got completely dark.

            Once in the park, Bernard assumed Ebony would be easy to spot.  Her hair should stand out vividly in any crowd, after all.  But he couldn't see her.  He glanced down at the compass again.  Yes, she was here… somewhere to his left…

            Then he saw her.  Ebony was leaning against a tree, looking out over a pond.  There weren't many people in that area – a sign nearby proclaimed the pond unsafe for skating until a deep freeze – and her dark outfit blended with the tree trunk.  In that moment she was still, solitary, a figure outside of the world of mortals.  The deep green of her hair lent a dreamlike touch of the otherworldly to the scene, rather than jarring her back from the days when tree nymphs stood even as she did then.

            He meant to speak, to call her out of whatever visions entranced her, after just one more moment.  Time passed.  He never spoke.

            Then a soccer ball blasted past her to crash into the edge of the pond with a violent shattering of the thin layer of ice formed with winter's first chills.

            A boy, about Charlie's age, ran after it.  "Sorry, you guys," he called to Ebony and Bernard.  "Hope that didn't splash you."  He grabbed his ball and was gone.

            The moment went with him.  Ebony had noticed Bernard.  She stared at him, eyes dark and unreadable, until the boy was out of earshot.

            "How long have you been standing there?"

            Bernard heard the danger in her voice, the angry trembling of the one whose sanctuary has been violated.  "Not long," he said quickly.

            "Seven minutes and forty-two seconds," she said flatly.  "That's a pretty long time.  What were you looking at?"

            "The lake?" Bernard tried.  He didn't expect it to work, though.  Not on a half-magical being.

            "Liar!"  Ebony glared at him passionately.  "How dare you follow me?  How dare you stare at me?  You have no right – you unfeeling – you monstrous – "

            "That is definitely taking this too far," Bernard snapped.  "You looked like you didn't want to be interrupted.  So I didn't."

            "I'd rather be interrupted than stared at!" Ebony snarled.  "If you want someone to gawk at, I bet Miss Desperate Flirt would be more than happy to oblige!"

            "You can't call her that," Bernard said, trying to be reasonable.

            "Oh, can't I?" Ebony flared.  "I can say a lot worse things about her – I already did!  And you would have heard them, too, if you hadn't been off in the kitchen mooning over her."

            "What?"  Bernard shook his head, taken aback.  "What are you talking about?"

            "Don't pretend you don't know," Ebony said angrily.  "I've seen it before – all the time!  You didn't want those friends of yours to see how flustered she made you, so you ran away.  You really are just a typical male – any pretty face – "

            "Shut up."  Bernard had gone stiff with chilly rage.  "You – you _human_ girl, you have no idea what you're saying.  Do not pass judgments on me.  How _dare_ you presume to claim that you know anything about me?  I have lived longer than you have dreamed possible, and you can no more know the reasons for what I do than you can know why that tree behind you grows and dies.  Do not try to tell me why I act as I do."

            The anger had drained out of Ebony, as if by taking hold of Bernard the heat of the argument had lost its grip on her.  She opened her mouth, as if to speak, but she found she had no words to offer.  She stepped forward.

            Bernard pulled back, and turned away.  He didn't want her near him.  She'd reminded him of memories he'd tried very hard to forget, memories that Bianca had brought back to him with her charm and her flirtations.  She had made the old, ill-healed wound ache all over again.

            "Wait."

            There was a tone in Ebony's voice that Bernard hadn't heard there before.  From the awkwardness with which she used it, he got the impression she wasn't used to speaking this way.  He waited.

            "Bernard – "  Ebony took a deep breath.  "I'm sorry.  I shouldn't have said that.  I – I get angry, sometimes, and I don't think about what I say.  Please don't go away mad."

            "What do you care about how I feel?" Bernard asked coldly.  "Don't delude yourself, Miss Hiems.  We are not friends.  I'm here because I'm under orders, and the only reason I am tolerating your presence is you can get me out of this world that much faster."

            Ebony jerked back, hurt showing in her eyes.  "You know, I really thought you were different," she said quietly.  "I thought you understood.  But you're just like they were – you don't care about anything but yourself."

            "Fine words coming from you," Bernard replied, his own memories making his voice quite unsympathetic to her.

            Ebony stared at him, wounded.  "How can you say that?"  Her voice shook a little, despite her obvious effort to steady it.  "Do you think I would shout and argue with you if I didn't like you?  Why do you think you upset me so much?"

            But Bernard shook his head firmly.  "Oh, no.  You don't get to try that.  Not after the things you called me.  If you call all of your friends monsters, I'm not surprised that you don't seem to have many of them."

            "I have plenty of friends!" Ebony snapped.  "They just happen to be visiting family over the holiday.  And they all understand about when I yell at them."

            "Good for them."  Bernard was in no mood to soften.  "Yelling is one thing.  Arguing is one thing.  But when you say words with the intention to hurt, and hurt deeply, you have to – "

            "When did I do that?"  Ebony didn't give him a chance to finish, in her indignation.  "I admittedly said some nasty things, but they were thoughtless.  You're the one who was calculatedly cruel."

            That shot hit home.  Bernard flinched.  He had chosen his language with the deliberate intent of causing as much harm as possible.  But still…

            "Thoughtless or not, you were still commenting on what was none of your business," he told her.  "And I stand by what I said – you don't know me, and you have no right to judge me."

            "So that's it, then?"  Ebony's voice was sharp with disbelief.  "I have 'no right' to judge you, so it's ok to let a girl not nearly good enough for you hang all over you?"

            Bernard paused, blinking.  "You keep coming back to that."

            "Forget it."  Ebony shook her head.  "It doesn't matter."

            But Bernard had already been hit by a realization.  "Are you jealous?"

            "No!"  Ebony glared at him.

            "You are!" Bernard said, too astonished to remember to yell.  "Is that why you insulted your sister and stormed out here?  You got mad that she was flirting with me?"

            "Why should I care what you do?" Ebony asked, drawing herself up haughtily.  "You're rude, and malicious, and she probably isn't even a natural blonde!"

            "What?"  Bernard stared at her, bewildered in spite of himself.

            "She just looks like the sort of girl who would dye her hair blonde," Ebony said impatiently.  "And those curls are far too bouncy – it would take her at least half an hour every day to get that effect."

            "Because of course your hair is completely natural," Bernard said sarcastically.

            "My hair is different."  Ebony shook her hair back irritably.  "So is green."

            "Because it's on your head," Bernard accused.

            "What other reason is there?" Ebony asked with a harsh smirk.  "At least there's something in my head for my hair to cover."

            Bernard laughed mockingly.  "I don't believe this.  You fight with me for every minute of the time we've known each other, then the moment I meet a female, you can't control your jealousy."

            "I am perfectly able to control myself," Ebony said icily.  "Unlike the ditzy space cadet back there, I do not feel the need to display my feelings in front of the entire world."

            "Unless you translate 'displaying your feeling' as fighting with me," Bernard pointed out nastily.  "In your own way, you're as bad as she is."

            Ebony gasped, mortified.  "I'm not!"

            "You are."  Bernard perfectly mimicked her own smirk back at her.  "What would you call the way you treat me?  I've got your measure now, Ebony Hiems – you've been flirting just as obviously.  Well, I'm terribly sorry to break it to you and all, but – "

            Ebony cut him off.  Of course, she'd been doing that since she'd met him.  That wasn't anything different.

            The different part was that this time, she'd interrupted him by kissing him.

            It wasn't a long kiss, but it was intense.  Ebony kissed like she fought – with all the fire and passion of the emotions roiling within her, giving it everything she had, leaving nothing out.  Her rage, her humiliation, she took everything out on him, her lips almost antagonistically fierce against his.

            It was over before Bernard fully grasped what was happening.  Ebony pulled away, breathing hard, but her eyes remained challengingly on his.

            Bernard had no response to that challenge.  He hadn't expected her to do that.  If he'd thought she would actually kiss him, he certainly wouldn't have taunted her the way he had.  No one had kissed him since – since a very long time ago.  He hadn't expected a girl to kiss him ever again.

            "I hope you don't expect some sort of apology," Ebony said at last, "because you aren't getting one."

            "Oh – no."  Bernard shook himself out of his daze.  "No, you don't need to apologize.  I mean – you shouldn't have – you didn't need to – "

            "Of course I didn't _need_ to kiss you," Ebony interrupted scornfully.  "I wanted to.  Have you quite understood that?  Because I don't think I can say it in simpler terms."

            She had wanted to kiss him.  It was a frightening thought.  He'd heard words like that once before… though the situation had been somewhat different…

            _"Oh, don't be silly, Bernard."  She giggled, a laugh that could shatter diamonds.  "You Northern elves are so shy.  Why would I ask you to kiss me if I don't want you to?"_

_            "I don't know… I'm not ready for this…"_

_            "You gallant darling."  She smiled, with enough charm to launch the standard number of ships, and a few fleets of reinforcements in case the first thousand wasn't enough.  "Go ahead.  Really.  I want you to kiss me."_

            "Bernard?  Bernard, are you listening?  Are you angry?"

            As he returned abruptly to the present, Bernard realized that Ebony sounded unduly anxious, when compared to the confident and unruffled exterior she'd been trying to present.

            "I am now."  He shook his head slightly.  "I just – had some bad memories."

            It could have been interpreted the wrong way, to be insulting, but the daughter of Father Time understood what he meant.  "You're on the rebound."  She exhaled sharply.  "I've just totally made a fool of myself, haven't I?"

            "No, no," Bernard assured her, then promptly blushed at his hastiness.  "I mean – it was a while ago, but being with Bianca – I mean, listening to her, and the way she acts – not that there's anything wrong with her, but I just – "  He stopped.  "This isn't coming out right."

            Ebony smiled slightly.  "It's ok.  I think I understand."  Her smile turned ironic.  "And here's the part where I eat my words.  I guess I'm sorry – "

            "No, please," Bernard cut her off.  "I meant it about not apologizing.  At least, not for kissing me."

            "Typical male."  This time, Ebony said the words without the spite she'd packed into them the first time.  "You don't mind that, even though it was dreadfully rude, yet you take offense at my innocent remarks."

            "When could I have done that?" Bernard scoffed.  "You haven't made any."

            Ebony laughed – not a giggle, silly and superficial, but a real laugh, full and warm.  "I suppose you think you're amusing."

            "You seem to agree," he pointed out.  "And you were no ruder than I was."

            "An admission of your guilt?"  Ebony raised an eyebrow.  "Or an exoneration of mine?"

            "Both, if you like," Bernard said.  "Pick whichever you want.  They're the same thing."

            "They aren't," Ebony contradicted.  "I think I rather like the one where we're both guilty."

            "Oh?" Bernard asked, his tone encouraging further explanation.

            "Because in that one, you've said it was your fault as well," Ebony said.  "I'd like to think that kissing is a two-way experience, though from your response I'd never be able to tell."

            Bernard turned bright red.  "You hardly gave me a chance," he objected, blushing furiously.

            Ebony smiled sweetly.  "Would you like one?"

            "Would I – "  Bernard stopped.  "Oh."

            When he didn't tell her no, Ebony put her arms on his shoulders, stepping close.  Hesitantly, Bernard held her to him.  She lifted her head, waiting, lips slightly parted.

            Feeling exceedingly self-conscious, Bernard leaned forward to place his mouth on hers.  He felt her lips curve into a pleased smile, before she made the kiss the two-way experience she'd requested.

            "You should probably let the pair of them have some privacy."

            Father Time waved a hand, and the image of Bernard and Ebony faded away.  Mother Nature watched him as he gazed at the place it had occupied, a troubled expression on his face.

            "Is this a bad thing?" she asked finally, when it became clear that her brother was too deep in thought to remember to explain things to her.  "The pair of them, I mean.  Considering what you – well, what you know."

            Father Time shook his head slowly.  "I don't know."

            Mother Nature looked over at him, surprised.  "Isn't it already fated?"

            "Perhaps."  Father Time shrugged.  "Perhaps not."

            "And you haven't looked?" his sister persisted disbelievingly.

            "No," Father Time said firmly.  "And I won't.  There are some things too important to learn through my Workings.  Besides," he smiled slightly, in much the same way Ebony often did, "Destiny changes if you know too much about it.  Or didn't you know?"

Author's Note:  Oh, how very exciting.  There is now an actual Plot.  Or at least the seed of one.  The plot should become clearer within the next couple chapters.  Particularly the parts about Bernard's past love life.  All the mysterious hints he's been giving will be explained, I promise.  Also, the required explanation about why Bernard looks older than the other elves is fast approaching.

Added Disclaimer: where various quotes came from.

"Mork from Ork" –_Mork and Mindy_

"I've read books about this!  Well… a book.  Actually, the book jacket." – _My Crazy Cousin Courtney_

"They wouldn't let him write that down if it wasn't true, would they?" – _The Truth_, Terry Pratchett

If I've quoted anything else that isn't mentioned either here or at the beginning, the lack of citation was entirely unintentional.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed!:

**Kitty the drunken butterfly** – Yes, Ebony's a lot like me, too.  Especially that hidden silly side.

**CrystalHorse72** – Dimitri is definitely going to be working at the role of peacemaker in this family.  Do they seem dysfunctional yet?  Just a little?  Also, I was wondering – who exactly is Alenya?  Your muse?

**Jesus-freak** – Well, this would be the answer to the "romance" comment.  Though all I actually meant at the time was that I'd put the fic in the romance category.  And I'm glad you like Grouchy!Bernard.

**Safire Ranmako** – Thanks!  I do aim for the insanity thing – it's nice to know I managed. ^_^

**Tera Earth** – Well, Ebony and Bernard have found a few things they agree on… however, they probably won't stop fighting just because of one kiss.

Zhai'helleva!

 - Mystica


	5. Don't You Tell A Single Soul

Time Flies

Author's Note:  And now, many things are revealed about Bernard's background.  He never gets to have a happy, normal life, does he?  Poor deprived child…  We also briefly visit the North Pole for some cryptic warnings from yet another mythical personage.

Also, for future reference, "Sidhe" is pronounced "she," like the female pronoun.  Just for clarification.

Disclaimer:  The original characters are mine, but Bernard, Scott, and their various companions belong to Disney.  The Sidhe information all came from various mythological resources.  Specific quotes are cited at the end.

**Chapter 5 – Don't You Tell A Single Soul**

            "Where does all this paperwork come from?"  Scott stared at his desk in bewilderment.  It was covered with more paper at that moment than it had held in all the years he'd been Santa.

            "Bernard usually handles most of it," Curtis explained.  "He says it's easier to do it himself than to train every Santa to do it right."

            "But what _is_ it?"  Scott picked up one of the sheets.  "Traffic violators?  Elves get traffic violations?"

            "It used to happen more often," Curtis said.  "That's why Bernard thought it would be a good idea to ask Ursula to direct traffic.  The numbers are really down.  Not many elves want to antagonize a polar bear."

            "That's great… I guess."  Scott kept looking at the paper, an odd expression on his face.  "This issues warnings, fines, even a temporary revocation of the privilege of teleporting in public.  And I never even knew about it."

            Curtis shrugged, unsure why Scott was so concerned.  "It has to get done to keep the elven city running smoothly.  So Bernard does it.  Does it matter?"

            Scott's reply was cut off when Judy entered.  "Santa?  You have a visitor."

            Scott frowned.  He hadn't been expecting anyone.  "Who?"

            "Cupid."  Judy looked puzzled.  "Did you ask him to come here?"

            Scott shook his head slowly.  "No.  But send him up anyway."

            "I should probably go," Curtis said as Judy left.  "I mean – Cupid."

            Scott grinned.  "He can't affect elves, you know."

            "Well, yeah, but still."  Curtis shivered.  "The power of love isn't something I'd like to control."

            "Oh?" Scott asked, amused.

            "It's not funny."  Curtis looked very affronted that Scott would laugh.  "Love is a big deal to elves.  Maybe that's because we live so long.  We don't view love as something to play with.  Well," he paused, correcting himself, "the Christmas elves don't, anyway."  Curtis shook his head before Scott could comment.  "I'm going to leave now, Santa.  I'll see you later."  He ducked out.

            "Huh."  Scott frowned after Curtis.  "Strange."  He hadn't realized Curtis was such a big fan of romance.

            Or maybe that wasn't it at all.  Maybe love really was something special to elves, because of their life spans.  But what had Curtis meant about "Christmas elves?"  Scott had heard references to other kinds of elves, but nothing specific.  For some reason, the elves here didn't like to talk about it.  Had something bad happened, to make Curtis make that comment?

            "Hey, Santa!"

            "Hello, Cupid."  Scott grinned as the man floated in.  "What can I do for you – or is this a pleasure visit?"

            Cupid shook his head.  "Don't I wish.  Nope, this is business, at least for me.  And I don't know if it fits your job description or not, but you should definitely know about it."

            Scott's face grew concerned at the gravity of the angel's voice.  "Is something wrong?"

            Cupid sighed.  "I don't know.  It might be."  He sat down – or rather, sat in the air over the chair across the desk from Scott.  "It's about your Head Elf."

            "Bernard?  Is he ok?"  Scott moved for the bell cord that would summon Curtis.

            "Don't call anyone," Cupid said quickly.  "I'm sure he's probably fine.  For all I know, this is normal.  But in case it isn't, I thought I ought to tell you."

            "Tell me what?" Scott asked apprehensively.

            "Well…"  Cupid thought for a moment.  "I'm going to show you an image from about fifteen minutes ago.  Then you can tell me if I'm worrying about nothing."

            Cupid waved a hand, and a trail of sparkling pink hearts blossomed from his fingertips.  They swirled together to outline a circle, floating between the two men.  Inside the circle, an image formed.

            "That's Bernard," Scott said slowly.  "And that girl – good Lord, she has green hair!"

            "That's Ebony Hiems," Cupid told him.  "One of Father Time's daughters."

            At that moment, Ebony's image spoke.  _"I am perfectly able to control myself.  Unlike the ditzy space cadet back there, I do not feel the need to display my feelings in front of the entire world."_

            Scott frowned.  "I think I missed something.  Is there a 'rewind' button on this thing?"

            "It isn't important," Cupid said impatiently.  "Just watch."

            Scott obeyed, feeling a little like a peeping tom as the scene played out before him.

_            "Unless you translate 'displaying your feeling' as fighting with me.  In your own way, you're as bad as she is."_

_            "I'm not!"_

_            "You are.  What would you call the way you treat me?  I've got your measure now, Ebony Hiems – you've been flirting just as obviously.  Well, I'm terribly sorry to break it to you and all, but – "_

            Scott looked away as the girl kissed Bernard.  "You know, I really don't think Bernard would appreciate us watching – "

            "Just wait," Cupid interrupted, annoyed.  "You have to see this to understand the important part."

            "Can't you just tell me?" Scott asked, as the conversation resumed in the image circle.

            Cupid shook his head slowly.  "You wouldn't believe me."

_            "Bernard?  Bernard, are you listening?"_

_            "I am now.  I just – had some bad memories."_

_            "You're on the rebound."_

            "The rebound?"  Scott looked up sharply.  "Is that what you meant?"

            "No," Cupid said.  "I think this is worse.

            Thrown by this response, Scott turned apprehensively back to the circle.

_            "Typical male.  You don't mind that, even though it was dreadfully rude, yet you take offense at my innocent remarks."_

_            "When could I have done that?  You haven't made any."_

_            "I suppose you think you're amusing."_

_            "You seem to agree.  And you were no ruder than I was."_

_            "An admission of your guilt?  Or an exoneration of mine?"_

_            "Both, if you like.  Pick whichever you want.  They're the same thing."_

_            "They aren't.  I think I rather like the one where we're both guilty."_

_            "Oh?"_

_            "Because in that one, you've said it was your fault as well.  I'd like to think that kissing is a two-way experience, though from your response I'd never be able to tell."_

_            "You hardly gave me a chance."_

_            "Would you like one?"_

_            "Would I –  Oh."_

            Scott shook his head.  "I just don't know what you think I should see," he said, perplexed.  "Unless you're afraid Father Time will be angry and blast Bernard where he stands for touching that girl."

            But Cupid's eyes were intent on the image.  "Look again," he said softly.

            Scott started to look back in irritation – and stared.  "They're glowing," he breathed in amazement.  And so they were.  Ebony and Bernard were surrounded by a delicately shining mist, swirling silver and gold with the translucent shades of the spectrum.

            "I take it that isn't normal for elves?" Cupid asked unnecessarily.

            "No."  Scott looked away, out of respect for his Head Elf's privacy.  "No, definitely not.  Christmas magic might make it snow or ring bells or something, but not a glow.  Definitely not that kind of glow.  What _is_ it?"

            Cupid sighed.  "I have no idea.  I hoped you'd know.  I think it might be some sort of Time thing.  She is half-magical, remember.  But I'm not sure Father Time would take it too well if I asked him about his daughter kissing someone she just met.  Of course," he continued, more seriously, "it could also be something triggered by the two of them in particular.  Is there anything about Bernard that could cause this?"

            "I – "  Scott stopped.  "You know, I'm not sure.  I don't actually know a lot about Bernard.  He never talks about himself the way the other elves do."  He considered it.  "If you think this is important, I could ask around, to find things out."

            "That would probably be a good idea," Cupid said.  "In my experience, people don't start glowing for no reason.  And I'd really hate to find out why too late."

            "All right."  Scott nodded.  "I'll see what Curtis, Judy, and Kioshi know.  They're probably his closest friends."

            "I'll take a look through History," Cupid replied, waving his hand to make the image disappear.  "Father Time lets me check his records whenever I need to, so it won't be a problem.  Maybe there's some sort of precedent."

            "Good."  Scott nodded.  "I'll let you know when I find something."

            As Cupid left, Scott pulled the bell cord to signal that he wanted Curtis.  After a moment, the elf poked his head into the room.  Seeing that Cupid was gone, he entered.  "Hi, Santa.  Did you want to get back to that paperwork?"

            "Actually, something else has come up," Scott said.  "Could you ask Judy and Kioshi to come here?  I need to talk to the three of you."

            "Sure.  I'll be right back."  Curtis ran out the door.  Scott sighed.  He missed Bernard.  The older elf, with his strong teleportation talents, could have popped himself immediately to where the other two elves were.  Curtis couldn't go somewhere as undefined as to a person – he needed an exact mental image of the place he wanted.  Of course, Curtis's telekinetic talents were much stronger than Bernard's, but that didn't make Scott any less impatient.

            "Santa?"  Judy came in, followed by Curtis and Kioshi.  "Why did you want the three of us?"

            "It's about Bernard, isn't it?" Kioshi asked quietly.

            Scott raised his eyebrows.  "Now, what gave that away?"

            Kioshi shrugged.  "It's obvious," he said.  "You call Judy and Curtis all the time, but I'm only an assistant in the Electronics Department.  You might want to talk to one of them with me, but for work-related issues, having them both here is redundant.  So it has to be about something other than work – and Bernard is the main link between us.  If he and I weren't cousins on his father's side, I doubt I'd have ever gotten to know Judy or Curtis."

            "On his father's side," Scott echoed thoughtfully.  "You specify that every time.  Why?"

            "I thought you needed to discuss something with us," Kioshi said impassively.  His unreadable eyes were the same dark brown as Bernard's, but the contrast of personalities was always striking.  Bernard's eyes displayed whatever emotions he happened to feel at the moment, but Kioshi never seemed to reveal anything.  Scott had tried to teach the elf poker once, figuring the emotional control would be useful.  He'd ended the first and only "practice session" by having to buy back his own shirt.

            "I do," Scott said.  "And you were right – it is about Bernard."  Kioshi nodded once, very slightly.  "Cupid was just here, and he's worried."

            "Oh, not _again_!" Judy burst out, distraught.  "If it's Danica and Ordella – "

            Scott never saw the elf move, but Kioshi was suddenly gripping her arm.  "Don't," he said, voice low. "Let him finish."

            Scott looked from one elf to the other, frowning.  "You may need to tell me eventually," he warned.  "Cupid seems to think something very strange – and possibly very bad – is happening."

            "With all due respect, sir, it isn't our secret to reveal."  Kioshi's face was blanker than usual.

            Scott decided not to press the issue.  "All right, fine.  But if there's anything you can tell me about Bernard, it would be helpful.  Anything in his history that might make him… react differently than other elves?"

            The three exchanged glances.  "I guess we could say," Curtis said doubtfully.  "It's not really a secret, after all.  He just doesn't like to talk about it, so no one ever says anything."

            "What?"  Scott is frown deepened.  "There really is something bad?"

            "I don't know if it's _bad_, exactly," Judy said.  "You do know about the other enclaves of elves, don't you?  The elves here at the North Pole, in Elfheim, are only the Christmas elves.  We look like human children all our lives.  But you've probably noticed that Bernard… well…"

            "Doesn't," Scott finished the sentence for her.

            "Right."  Judy glanced at Kioshi, but he said nothing.  "That's because Bernard is only half Christmas elf.  He's also half Sidhe."

            Scott blinked.  "Half she?"  His jaw dropped.  "You mean he's a girl?"

            In spite of themselves, Judy and Curtis had to laugh.  Even Kioshi cracked a smile.

            "Hardly," Kioshi said, his momentary lapse overcome.  "This is another word, spelled S-I-D-H-E, but pronounced 'shee.'  The Sidhe are a different race of elves that live Underhill, ruled by Titania and Oberon.  Bernard's father, my Uncle Aubrey, was a Christmas elf.  His mother, Danica Emrys, is one of the Sidhe."

            "An Unseelie Sidhe," Curtis added with a grimace.  At that, Kioshi shot Curtis a quelling look, from which Scott gathered that this was not information Bernard would have wanted shared.  He made a mental note to find out more about this Danica – Judy had mentioned her earlier, and not in a very good way.

            "Would any of this cause problems for Bernard?" Scott asked, when no one seemed willing to offer more information.

            "I don't think so," Judy said slowly.  "It hasn't yet.  Unless you count that he looks older than the rest of us, and I don't think that's what you meant."

            "No, it isn't," Scott agreed.  "I'm thinking more along the lines of things that would make Bernard randomly glow."

            "Glow?" Curtis repeated incredulously.  "When was he glowing?"

            Kioshi studied Scott from beneath his lashes.  "You aren't telling us everything."

            Scott shrugged.  "We're respecting Bernard's privacy, aren't we?  This is pretty personal, too, I'd say.  I don't even think he knows he was glowing."

            Curtis frowned.  "How can he not know?  It'd be pretty obvious, wouldn't it?"

            "Maybe not."  Kioshi leaned back in his chair.  "I'm sorry, sir, but I don't think we're going to be much help.  Not if this is what I think it is."

            "What?" Judy and Curtis both demanded at once.

            Kioshi looked at them a moment.  "I don't believe I shall tell you," he said at last.  He turned to Scott.  "With your permission, sir, I'll get back to work.  We're having trouble recreating the Windows program in the Computers subsection."

            Scott frowned.  "We've paid Microsoft for the right to make copies?"  Kioshi stared blandly straight ahead.  Scott shook his head.  "Right… wasn't here, didn't know about it, couldn't have stopped you.  Go ahead."

            Kioshi left.  Judy and Curtis looked after him, at each other, and at Scott.  "Is something wrong?" Judy asked finally.  "Bernard isn't in trouble, is he?  He's not hurt?"

            Scott hesitated.  "I don't know," he admitted honestly.  "I'm not entirely sure what's going on.  I don't think he's in trouble yet, but the possibility does exist."

            "Why won't you tell us what happened?" Curtis asked bluntly.

            Scott considered it.  "He probably wouldn't want you to know about it," he said.  "Besides," he grinned crookedly, "it isn't really my secret to reveal."

            "I think something's wrong with Bernard."

            Bernard could hear Charlie, Neil, and Laura talking in the hall, though the door to the guest bedroom was closed.  He supposed he should probably go and reassure them that he was fine – except that he wasn't fine.  Far from it.

            It had been the snow, he decided.  He missed the North Pole, so the new snow, which hadn't had a chance to get dirty yet, had made him overly sentimental.  It had skewed his reasoning.

            The snow, and Bianca's influence.  Thinking back, Bernard realized that Bianca hadn't been as terrible a flirt as she'd seemed to him.  She had just brought back bad memories.  She acted so much like Ordella, he had associated the two without judging Bianca on her own merits.

            He probably owed her an apology, but by the time he'd gotten back from seeing Ebony, Bianca and Dimitri had gone, though they'd both left phone numbers.  It was a good thing that they'd left, of course.  Ebony hadn't been able to reach her car and get out of there fast enough.

            Not that Bernard blamed her, of course.  Not at all.  It had been so awkward, after the kisses.  What could they really say at a time like that?  He groaned.  This was going to make things so complicated!

            _You'd think I'd have learned my lesson about getting involved with girls I have to work with,_ Bernard thought bitterly.  _But no – just four centuries later, and here I am again._

            It had all started with Genevieve.  All Bernard's problems seemed to go back to her, sooner or later.  She was a Christmas elf, the head of the Clothing Design Department.  Like the other elves at the North Pole, she looked young – but it had been all right, because he had only looked a few years older than her at the time.  Besides, considering all the different clans, few elves would have batted an eye at the physical differences, as long as the age difference wasn't too shocking.  That hadn't been the problem.

            The problem had been Bernard's position as Head Elf.  He'd only been elected fifty-eight years earlier, which wasn't much in elvish time.  He hadn't won the other elves' confidence yet.  And he and Genevieve had seen no reason to keep their romance a secret.  Normally, there wouldn't have been a reason.  But this had been a special case.  The other elves had gotten suspicious that Bernard had been a little too supportive of the Clothing Design Department, at the expense of the other departments.  He had said he wasn't, of course, but it hadn't mattered.

            Genevieve had been the strong one.  She'd seen what had needed to be done – and she'd done it.  He could still remember the day she'd told him she couldn't stay.

            _"I'm sorry, Bernard."  She looked away, unable to meet his eyes.  "This can't work – not as long as we have to work together."_

_            "Then I'll quit!" he said desperately.  "There are other jobs in Elfheim, lots of them.  I could work at the school, or the court house – "_

_            "No."  Her voice was gentle, but resolute.  "When two people are going to live as long as we are, we can't make that kind of sacrifice.  Our lives have to work together, Bernard.  If you subordinate yourself to me, you might be happy for a few years, maybe even a few centuries.  But as time passes, you'll regret it."_

_            "Never!" he tried to protest.  "You're worth it, Genevieve."_

_            She smiled sadly.  "I'm not, you know."  She reached up to caress his cheek tenderly – already she had to reach to touch it.  "You'll meet someone right for you someday, Bernard.  Someone who will fit into your life in a way that I can't.  I know you don't believe it now, but I'm sure of it.  Trust me."_

_            "Always."  His voice was harsh, as he struggled not to cry._

_            She looked up at him hesitantly.  "We can still be friends, can't we?"  Her eyes met his for the first time since the conversation had begun.  She was the first to drop her gaze.  "No," she said quietly, "I guess we can't."_

            Bernard had only seen Genevieve a handful of times since that day.  Curtis, with an extraordinary degree of tact probably inspired by a little bird named Judy, handled everything that had to do with the Clothing Design Department.  But since then no one had ever dared to complain that the Head Elf was biased towards Genevieve's department.  He was so scrupulously fair in that respect that the other department heads sometimes had to speak up in protest, when they felt their Clothing Design associates deserved a break.

            Everyone at the North Pole knew that the relationship with Genevieve had hurt Bernard very badly.  But they also knew that she wasn't the one who had broken his heart.  That honor belonged to the ever-lovely Ordella Wyn.

            It was partly because of Genevieve that Bernard had even gotten involved with Ordella in the first place.  Like any child wounded by his first failed romance, Bernard had done the natural thing – he'd fled to his mother for comfort.  Afterwards, he realized he should have gone to Kioshi's mother, his Aunt Ayame, instead.  But he hadn't known better then.

            He had barely known his mother at all, then.  He didn't really know her now.  She had never wanted much to do with him.  When Bernard had been born, she had simply foisted him off on Aubrey without even naming her child.  When Aubrey had died in a mistake with some experimental new equipment, Danica had shown up at the North Pole just long enough to sign her son's custody over to Gavin, Aubrey's brother and Kioshi's father.  Still, he'd thought that she'd at least care a little about him.

            And Danica had cared, in a sense.  She'd been indignant to think that some lowly little Christmas elf had had the _nerve_ to reject an Emrys.  She'd taken Bernard into her household, putting him in a wing with two half-sisters he'd never known he'd had, Fiona and Tasha.  It hadn't been so bad, at first – no one knew anything about him, or about Genevieve.  He could start over.

            But the Sidhe didn't think in the same ways as the Christmas elves.  If Bernard had been at the North Pole, a stranger would have been welcomed and made to feel at home.  Even among the Seelie Sidhe, strangers were cautiously accepted.  But Danica was part of the Unseelie Court, and they used strangers for all they could get.

            The two kinds of Sidhe, the Seelie and the Unseelie, were the elves that humans knew the most about.  The Seelie Sidhe were the beautiful, kindly creatures from fairy tales, offering aid or protection to the few mortals who proved themselves worthy.  But the Unseelie Sidhe were those elves' opposites.  They were known as unhelpful elves, malicious beings that played cruel tricks on humans – and also as monsters.  Some Unseelie looked the part, all vicious claws and slobbering fangs, but others – like Danica and Ordella – were as lovely as angels.  They were the most dangerous.

            To give her some credit, Bernard didn't think Danica had meant for Ordella to entrap him when she'd introduced the Unseelie lady to him.  She'd just wanted her son to meet "some proper girls, not like those dreadful common barbarians up at that Elfheim place."  And certainly, Ordella had been anything but common.  Her hair shimmered golden, her skin was smooth and creamy, her lips pouted red and full.  She had seemed the epitome of a sophisticated, charming Sidhe woman, as unlike Genevieve's wild red hair and hesitant speech as the ocean was to a rain puddle.

            Bernard had been under Ordella's thumb in days.  He'd fallen very hard for her – or at least, for the girl she was pretending to be.  And he'd thought she'd been in love with him.  She'd been a good actress.  He still shuddered to think of the way she'd treated him, as if he were a puppy – or worse, a slave.  She'd let him follow her around, waiting on her hand and foot, until the middle of summer.  Midsummer night, in fact.  That had been when she'd tired of him.

            _"I mean, really," she said, with a condescending smile, "you couldn't really have thought I could actually be in love with you."_

_            He stared at her incredulously, unable to believe that this malicious creature was the same woman he'd cared so deeply for._

_            "Oh, you mean you _did_?"  She laughed sweetly.  "That is so adorable – in a really pathetic way, of course.  Why in the world would you think that?"_

_            "You – you said – "_

_            "Oh, did I?"  She frowned prettily.  "I suppose I might have.  But it was only to you, after all.  It didn't matter much to me.  And here you've taken it seriously!  How very awkward."  She smiled, amused._

_            "You told me you'd never met anyone like me," he whispered.  "You told me I was special."_

_            "So you are."  She shrugged unconcernedly.  "Most of the people I know are intelligent and good-looking.  It was somewhat diverting to be around someone dull for a change.  You made me look quite good by comparison."  She paused thoughtfully.  "I shall miss that part, I suppose.  But I simply can't keep dallying with you.  My reputation would be entirely ruined."  She gave him a dazzling smile.  "So sorry and all."_

            Bernard could have dealt with just Genevieve, or just Ordella, but meeting one immediately after the other had left him shattered.  He couldn't stand to think of romance in terms of himself, though after a few years he'd been able to handle other people's loves.  The female elves at the North Pole had quickly learned not to try to flirt with their Head Elf, lest he break down and either cry or scream.  He'd never felt the least attraction to a female since Ordella.

            Not until Ebony, anyway.

            What was it about Ebony, he wondered, that made him so crazed?  She taunted him, he snarled at her, and instead of despising each other they'd ended up kissing in the park.  No one else could make him so angry, just as no one else had been able to make him kiss her.  It was as if something in her drew his emotions out, forcing him to be honest with her.

            Kissing Ebony had been strange, and exhilarating, and frightening.  It had been like he hadn't been in control of himself – like some higher power was acting through him – but it had been exactly right.  He'd needed to kiss her – to hold her, touch her, feel her in his arms – and he had.  If he thought about it, he could still feel the way she'd pressed against him, her arms twining around his body, her lips warm on his.  She'd smelled faintly of peppermint, and she'd tasted – 

            _Ok, that is more than enough of that train of thought,_ Bernard decided hastily.  _I have to think about something else – anything else!_  He drummed his fingers nervously against the wall.  _The kitchen staff – did I ever order them the extra supply of white chocolate they wanted?  Or did they ask for twice as much milk chocolate instead of white?_

            "I think we should talk to him."

            Laura's words, through the door, were much more distracting than thoughts of chocolate.  _Oh, no,_ he pleaded silently.  _Please don't try to talk to me.  I don't want to talk – not about this._

            "That's a good idea.  Why don't the two of us try?"

            Bernard's head drooped into his hands.  _Great._

            "Charlie, you go on to bed."

            There was a knocking on the door.  "Bernard?" Laura called.  "Can Neil and I come in?"

            Bernard held back a sigh – it wouldn't do for them to realize he'd been listening.  "Ok, sure."  He got up to open the door.  "Do you need something?"

            "We just wanted to see you," Neil said.  "Bernard, is there something you'd like to talk about?"

            Bernard gave a smile he was sure looked terribly false.  "Of course not.  Why would you think that?"

            "Well… you seem very upset, that's all."  Neil and Laura sat in the room's two chairs, while Bernard perched on the edge of the bed.  "And listening is part of my job.  If you need someone to talk to, Laura and I are both here."

            Bernard shook his head, looking away.  "There's nothing.  I'm just tired.  And I want to go home."

            "I don't blame you," Laura said sympathetically.  "It must be hard, being away from the North Pole now, of all times."

            "Yeah, well."  Bernard shrugged.  "When Santa orders you to do something, you don't really get to say no.  It's just another job."

            "You seem fond of your new charges, though," Neil said.

            "Dimitri is nice," Bernard said noncommittally.

            "So he is," Neil agreed.  "But you don't get along as well with Ebony?"  Bernard was silent.  "You had a fight with her, didn't you?  That's why she never came back inside."

            "What?"  Bernard looked up, startled.  "No, we didn't fight.  Well, yes, we did, but – "  He stopped.  "Yes, you could say that.  We fought."

            Laura and Neil both nodded, and Bernard had the nasty suspicion that they could read between the lines of what he was saying.  He'd like to think that they were unusually observant, but he was pretty sure that it was just because he was remarkably transparent.

            "Do you want to tell us about the fight?" Laura prompted.

            "No.  Definitely not," Bernard said.

            Laura and Neil exchanged glances.  "All right, then," Neil said finally.  "If you're sure.  But just remember – if you ever decide you want to talk after all, I'll always be ready to listen."

            They started to leave.  Just before walking out the door, Laura stopped, and turned back to look at Bernard.  "Ebony seems like a very nice girl," she said.  "A little strange, maybe, but I like her.  And so will Scott."  She smiled.  "Fights happen.  So do other things.  And it's ok to be scared.  But you're going to have to face it eventually."

            She left before Bernard could ask her what she meant.

Author's Note:  Ok, that was your dose of angst for the next few chapters.  Now that we've covered Bernard's obligatory tragic background, the plot can advance a little.  In the next chapter, Bernard and Ebony have another confrontation, and we learn the double meaning behind the title of the fic.

Added Disclaimer for Quotes:

"Right… wasn't here, didn't know about it, couldn't have stopped you." – _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_

If I've quoted anything else that isn't mentioned either here or at the beginning, the lack of citation was entirely unintentional.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed!

**CrystalHorse72** – You beat up your characters?  Heh… that's a really good idea.  Of course, I can totally see my characters whacking me right back… ^_^

**Jesus-Freak** – Yeah, we all wish we were Ebony… *wistful sigh*  Except for the green hair part.

**Kitty the drunken butterfly** – I'm sorry, this one wasn't as sweet as the last one.  But the next chapter should have some cute scenes!

Zhai'helleva!

 - Mystica


	6. Before I Melt Away

Time Flies

Author's Note:  Although this chapter is very short, it covers some important aspects of the story.  Ebony and Bernard have a discussion, and the fourth and final child of Time makes his entrance with a bang.

Disclaimer:  All characters and ideas from _The Santa Clause_, both 1 and 2, belong to Disney.  I don't think I borrowed anything else to write this chapter.

**Chapter 6 – Before I Melt Away**

            "I'm going out."

            Charlie, Neil, and Laura looked up at Bernard from where she was seated at the kitchen table.  "To meet your three charges?" Laura asked.

            Bernard shook his head.  "No.  I'm going to try moving around the city to see if I can find Sherwin in the compass's range."

            "But I thought it worked better if you brought the others with you," Charlie said.

            Bernard hesitated.  "I think I need to be alone for a while," he said at last.

            Neil nodded.  "That's probably for the best."  Charlie, frowning, started to ask a question, but Neil cut him off, giving him a cautioning look.  "You might want to try Central Park.  If Sherwin is traveling from out of the city, he'd probably want to visit it.  Also, from there, most of Manhattan should be in your range."

            Bernard nodded slowly.  "I'll try that."

            "When will you be back?" Laura wanted to know.  Bernard just shrugged.  "Well, be careful.  It's not good to wander around alone when you don't know the city."

            Bernard gave her a half-smile.  "I'll be fine.  I can teleport away from any trouble."  He looked around again, nodding a farewell.  "Guess I'll see you later, then."

            He teleported out, sending himself to the Central Park that Neil had suggested.  He'd heard Scott talk about the Park before, but he'd never been there.  Maybe now he'd know what Scott kept going on about.

            But when Bernard arrived, he couldn't believe his eyes.  "_Reindeer_?" He stared into the enclosure in front of him.  He was standing behind a wall disguised as scenery, while people gathered at the fence on the other end, stretching over to pet the creatures.  "There are reindeer in _New York_?"

            It appeared that there were.  The animals perked up their ears at the voice of an elf, and a couple trotted over to his side of their pen.  Bernard smiled, wishing he could find a door to enter the reindeer's area.  It reminded him of home.

            "Hey!  What are you doing back here?"

            Bernard turned around to see an extremely startled security guard addressing him.  "Looking at the reindeer."

            "This area isn't open to the public," the guard informed him.  "You're supposed to stay on the other side of the pen."

            Bernard simply nodded, and went around the enclosure to the side where the people were gathered.  The two reindeer stayed close, nuzzling his hands when he approached the fence.

            "You're lovely creatures," Bernard whispered to them, even though they weren't as intelligent as the North Pole animals, and probably couldn't understand him.  He gently caressed their antlers.  "Lovely indeed."

            His tenderness with the reindeer earned him some decidedly odd looks, so Bernard bid them a reluctant farewell.  Not particularly sure where to go, he simply picked a direction and began walking.  He seemed to be in some sort of zoo.  Was this Central Park?  Or was the zoo a part of the Park?  Then the Park itself would have to be huge…

            Another exhibit caught Bernard's eye – the same tank of polar bears that Scott and Charlie had looked at once, when Scott was just beginning to become Santa, though of course Bernard didn't know the tank's history.  He just recognized more animals that reminded him of home, and was drawn to them.

            Like the reindeer, the polar bears responded to Bernard's presence.  Once swam near the glass, studying the elf inquisitively.  Bernard laid a hand on the glass in front of the bear's face.  The animal rolled over in response, then tapped the glass with a paw.  Bernard's smile was bittersweet, his pleasure at being recognized countered by his suddenly sharp longing for the North Pole.

            "Feeling homesick?"

            Bernard snapped instantly out of his reverie, spinning to face the last person he'd expected to meet here.  "Ebony?" he asked incredulously.

            "Well, you don't have to sound all happy that I'm here," she said, a little offended.

            "I wanted to be alone," Bernard said pointedly.  Then he frowned.  "How did you find me?  Not even the Millers knew exactly where I'd be."

            Ebony shrugged.  "I'm not sure, really.  I was just wondering where to find you, and I suddenly knew.  It was kind of weird."

            "Oh, Lord."  Bernard paled.  "That's Time magic.  You shouldn't do that without being properly trained."

            "Well, I didn't do it on purpose," Ebony snapped.  "What's wrong with you?  Why are you so grouchy?"

            "Weren't you listening?  I want to be left alone."  Bernard turned his back to her.

            "Well, you don't always get what you want."  Ebony moved around to face him.  "You want to be left alone?  Well, I think we need to talk.  So here's the deal – we talk, then if you still want me to go, I'll leave."

            "I have a better idea," Bernard said.  "You leave now, and we don't talk at all."

            "No."  Ebony folded her arms obstinately.  "If you don't like my deal, then I'll just keep following you around until you do talk to me.  And since I'll just use my magic to track you if you do your glittery disappearing thing, you can't lose me.  So I suggest you save time, and talk to me now."

            Bernard sighed.  He knew she really would follow him, if he didn't agree.  She'd left him with no choice.  He raised his hand to the glass one last time, saying a silent goodbye to the graceful creatures within, then looked back at Ebony.  "All right."

            She was staring at him with the strangest look on her face.  "You really are homesick, aren't you?"

            "Yeah."  Bernard shrugged.  He didn't want to discuss that.  "So where do you want to go to talk?"

            Ebony chose a seat on a bench near the penguin exhibit.  "I like penguins," she said defensively, when Bernard raised his eyebrows questioningly.

            They sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the penguins swim and waddle.  Finally, Bernard spoke.  "You want to talk about last night, don't you?"

            "Congratulations, Sherlock," Ebony said dryly.  "Yeah.  That's the topic.  I don't normally kiss guys I've just met.  I'd like to know what was going on between us."

            "Can't we just agree to pretend it never happened, and leave it at that?" Bernard asked.  "It was a mistake, nothing's going to come of it, and it's never going to happen again.  I think that covers all the angles pretty well."

            "You think so?"  Ebony's eyes were unreadable.

            "Of course!" Bernard said harshly.  "I'm more than two thousand years older than you.  I'm an elf, you're half human.  There are so many other reasons that I can't even go into!  Anyone with sense could see it was a temporary lapse in judgment, nothing more."

            Ebony nodded slowly.  "Yeah.  Actually, I was thinking about this most of last night, and I came up with all the same reasons.  Age, heritage, personality, circumstances… the list goes on.  I think I must have spent hours coming up with every reason why we should just forget about this."

            "Good," Bernard said in relief.  "Then we can – "

            "But you know what else I kept thinking about?" Ebony interrupted him.  She smiled.  "This."

            Ebony leaned over and kissed him, so gently Bernard could scarcely believe it was her.  Somehow, when he moved his hands with the intention of pushing her away, he ended up embracing her instead, holding her to him as if he never wanted to let her go.  This kiss was soft and sweet, as tender as their first kiss had been violent.

            They only broke apart when they realized a small crowd had gathered around them.  Bernard turned red, remembering that they were still in a public place.  Ebony, however, was incensed rather than embarrassed.

            "Don't you people have somewhere else to be?" she demanded.  "There are plenty of animals here to gawk at – you don't need to stare at us!"

            "But you were – " a teenage girl started to protest.  Ebony glared at the younger girl, and she wilted.  "Never mind."

            Deprived of their show, the people quickly dispersed.  Ebony rolled her eyes.  "Honestly – you'd think they'd never seen people kissing before."  She looked over at Bernard.  "Want to pick up where we left off?"

            "No!"  Bernard pulled away from her.  "Were you even listening to what I just said?  That's exactly what we can't let happen!"

            "Why not?" Ebony challenged him.  "When it comes down to it, what do all those reasons really matter?  So you're older than me.  Mentally, emotionally, and physically, you seem about the same age.  And what does it matter if I'm half human?  You seem to like Charlie and his family well enough, and they're entirely human!"

            Bernard stared at her.  "You don't get it, do you?" he asked, taken aback.  "Sure, this might be fine for you, but think about it from my perspective.  You're a _mortal_.  It's hard enough when the Santa Clause I've worked with for years up and dies on me.  I refuse to get romantically entangled with someone who's just going to die in fifty or sixty years!"

            Ebony frowned.  "But I thought you said I can't stay half human, half magical.  What if I become entirely a creature of Time?"

            "What if you don't?" Bernard countered.  "It isn't a choice to be made lightly.  You have to base it on what will make you happiest overall, not on what you think you want in a passing moment."

            "What if this isn't just a passing moment?" Ebony snapped.  "Don't go acting so high and mighty at me, mister!  Something happens when we kiss, something special.  I know you feel it, too.  It's like a fire in my head, whenever I'm with you.  I'm drawn to you somehow, no matter what I think should be happening.  Don't tell me you don't know what I'm talking about.  There's something there between us, and you're scared of it."

            "I'm not scared – "  But a loud squealing noise cut him off.  Bernard's confusion was not abated in the least when he realized that the sound came from the compass around his neck.  He took it off to get a better look at it, and Ebony came to stand behind him so she could see as well.

            The hand in the middle of the compass was spinning wildly, as if it was trying to point everywhere at once.  The first three names were flashing silver, but Sherwin Lennor's name was blazing a fiery crimson.  When Bernard cautiously pressed the button beside Sherwin's name, the arrow snapped abruptly into a single direction, quivering as it pointed the way.

            "What's going on?" Ebony asked apprehensively.

            Bernard shook his head slowly.  "I have no idea.  But I don't think it's something good."  He put the compass back on, standing resolutely.  "I'm going to try to teleport directly to Sherwin."

            "Can you do that?"  Ebony sounded extremely dubious.  "Don't you need to know where you're going?"

            "Usually.  It's very risky to teleport to a place you've never been, focusing on a person you've never met.  But this looks important.  I think your brother may have accidentally lost control of his magic."

            "What can we do if he has?" Ebony wanted to know.

            Bernard started to answer, then noticed her phrasing.  "_We_?  We aren't going to do anything.  You're going to tell Dimitri and Bianca to meet you at the Millers' house, then wait there for me to get back with Sherwin.  I don't want to have to wait to get you four out of this place if I have to do something drastic.  Tell Charlie to use his snow globe to get in touch with Santa.  I'm going to need another elf to help me teleport you lot up to the North Pole."

            "But if it's this dangerous, you might need help!"  Ebony stood, arms akimbo.  "I'm not letting you charge into an unknown situation by yourself."

            "And what would you do to help me?" Bernard demanded.  "Track me down if I fall?  Or maybe start ranting about a special _connection_ between us?  You don't know anything that could possible be useful to me now.  At best, you'd slow me down.  At worst, you could get all three of us killed!"

            "I'm not leaving!" Ebony insisted.  "There's got to be something I can do."

            "Yes – you can stay out of the way and get the others ready to leave."  Bernard glared at her.  "Do that, if you're so set on being helpful.  We had a deal, remember – I talked to you, now you leave me alone."

            "This isn't what I meant!" Ebony cried in frustration.  "I don't want you to go alone!"

            Bernard looked at her coldly for a long moment.  "Well, you don't always get what you want."  He snapped his fingers, and disappeared in a shower of golden sparks.

            Ebony glared at the place he'd just been.  "I'm _not_ going to run away," she muttered.

            That teleportation journey was one of the rockiest Bernard ever hoped to take.  He hadn't been lying when he'd told Ebony it was dangerous.  He only had maybe a fifty percent chance of going where he wanted.  Thirty percent said he'd land somewhere else, probably in another dimension.  The other twenty percent said he'd land in several somewheres, all at once.  Not prospects he particularly wanted to dwell on.

            Fortunately, Bernard made the trip successfully.  He slumped against the wall to catch his breath, taking in the scene before him.

            He was in what had probably once been a perfectly nice, if small, apartment room.  It was still an apartment room, of course, but now it was completely trashed.  He saw stuffing torn out of sofa cushions, broken lamps, and a phone ripped off the wall.  _What did this?_ he wondered anxiously, scanning the room.

            Then he heard a crash from the adjoining room.  _It's still here!_ he realized, bolting for the door.  He wrenched the doorknob, but it was locked from the inside.  Well, this was hardly the time for good manners.  He teleported himself inside – and immediately ducked.  Objects were whizzing through the air, slamming into walls, furniture, and floor with a complete disregard for property.

            "Get _down_!"  A hand reached up and pulled Bernard flat on the floor beside the bed.  Bernard looked over.  A young man was crouching on the floor, huddled under the bed sheets he'd torn from the bed.

            "Sherwin?" Bernard asked in a whisper, just to confirm.

            "Yeah.  Who are you?  How'd you get in here?  I thought they'd locked the door."  Sherwin ran a hand through his hair, which was probably why it stuck up wildly in every direction.

            "They?  Who are 'they?'" Bernard asked warily.

            Sherwin pointed up.  Three grey, pixie-like creatures, each about a foot high, were seated on the ceiling fan, laughing in delight as the flying objects destroyed the room.

            "Those almost look like Moments," Bernard said, surprised.  "Except… I don't think I've ever seen a grey Moment before."

            "What are you talking about?"  Sherwin stared at Bernard blankly.  "Does it matter what color they are?  I have to get them out of here!"

            "I know, that's why I came," Bernard told him.  "Do you know how they got here?  Maybe that will give us a clue about how to get rid of them."

            "Um…"  Sherwin had the decency to look ashamed.  "I think I may have summoned them, somehow."

            "Summoned – !"  Bernard groaned.  "You were trying to do magic on your own, weren't you?"

            "No!"  Sherwin hesitated.  "Well – maybe.  I've just been feeling this _pull_ on me for the past few days.  It's weird, and I was getting kind of worried.  And I really wanted something to come tell me what was going on."

            "And you said something about a Moment," Bernard predicted.

            "I think so," Sherwin admitted.  "Something like, 'I wish I had an answer this moment.'  And then there were all those little flying things attacking me."

            "But Moments don't attack," Bernard said, puzzled.  "There'd have to be something really wrong – "  He stopped.  "Oh, no."

            "What?" Sherwin demanded.  "You figured something out?"

            "I think so," Bernard said slowly.  "I think you freed the Time Flies."

            "The _what_?" Sherwin asked, frustrated.

            "The Time Flies are Moments gone wrong," Bernard explained quickly, trying to get a good look at the creatures.  "Father Time had them locked up thousands of years ago, but it looks like you've set them free.  Well," Bernard tried to look on the bright side, "at least you only let out a few."

            "Um."  Sherwin looked like a little kid with his hand caught in the cookie jar.  "Not exactly."

            "Great."  Bernard sighed in resignation.  "How many?"

            "A _lot_," Sherwin confessed.  "Most of them disappeared.  These three are the only ones that stayed.  I think they wanted to make sure I couldn't go anywhere."

            "But if the Time Flies are loose…"  Bernard's mind leapt to the only possible conclusion.  "The other three are in danger!"

            "What other three?" Sherwin tried to ask.

            "No time to explain!" Bernard snapped.  He grabbed Sherwin's hand.  "Don't let go!"  He teleported them both back to the Millers' house.

            "Bernard!"  Everyone in the full living room cried his name as he and Sherwin appeared.  They all tried to question the Head Elf at once.

            "What's going on?" Scott demanded.  "Charlie said you were in trouble?"

            "Ebony said you had to rescue Sherwin!" Dimitri said, anxiety showing in his eyes.

            "They're all going on about some stupid teleportation stunt you tried," Quentin added.  "Did you really make a jump without a definite location?"

            "_Quiet_!" Bernard roared.  Everyone was startled into silence.  "I'll explain when we get back to the North Pole – there's no time now!  Santa, go back and get Father Time.  He needs to know about this, if he doesn't already.  Quentin, I can't teleport four people that far.  I'll take Sherwin and Dimitri, you take Bianca and Ebony.  We can – "

            "Wait, wait," Quentin interrupted, frowning.  "Ebony?"

            "Yes, she – "  Bernard stopped.  He stared rapidly around the room.  "She's not here?"

            "She said she was meeting you," Dimitri said, worried.  "Something about you needing backup?"

            "Oh, no."  Bernard pulled out his compass and pushed Ebony's button.  Nothing happened.  "No."  He pushed it again, several times in quick succession.  There was no response.  "It isn't working!"

            "What does that mean?" Dimitri asked.

            Bernard looked up with a helpless dread in his eyes.  "She's no longer in this dimension."

Author's Note:  Lovely cliffhanger, huh?  I suppose it serves Bernard right for not realizing Ebony would follow him, but it's still pretty rough on him.  The next chapter will reveal in more detail exactly what happened to Ebony, and where she is.  Also, Father Time will finally get to meet some of his children.

Thank you everyone who reviewed!

**Melena Marquis** – I have to ask – how does Piers Anthony relate to this story?  I've read some of his books, and I'm just not seeing the connection.

**CrystalHorse72** – I'm glad you approve of angst.  There's more coming up in the next few chapters. ^_^

**Kitty the drunken butterfly** – Yep, there is definite glowing going on.  There was actually a repeat performance at the zoo, but Bernard and Ebony don't realize it.

**Jesus-freak** – You'd want green hair?  Well, you've just endeared yourself to Ebony forever. ^_^

Zhai'helleva!

 - Mystica


	7. Blue Christmas

Time Flies

Author's Note – This chapter is, again, short, but more important plot stuff happens.  More is revealed about what happened to Ebony, and there are several fieldtrips.

Disclaimer – All characters from _The Santa Clause_, both the original and the sequel, belong to Disney.  Any and all quotes used are cited at the end.

**Chapter 7 – Blue Christmas**

            "What do you mean, she's no longer in this dimension?"

            "Didn't you know she was following you?"

            "What's going on?"

            Oblivious to all these questions, Bernard just stared forward with unseeing eyes, trying to get a grip on himself.  He had to calm down – had to be in control – had to do something!  But he couldn't get past the thought that Ebony had disappeared – it didn't seem real.  He didn't even realize that he'd started shaking.

            "Bernard?  Bernard!"  Scott waved a hand in front of the elf's face.  Bernard didn't respond.  "He's not answering.  What's wrong?"

            "Looks like shock," Neil said, frowning.  He glanced around the room and spotted a glass of water.  "Step back," he ordered, just before throwing the water into Bernard's face.

            "What – "  Bernard coughed, startled.  He wiped his face off, a little dazed.

            "Bernard," Neil said gently, "do you have some idea of what's going on?"  The elf nodded.  "Good.  And can we do anything about it from here?"

            "I don't think so," Bernard had to admit.

            "Then let's get back to the North Pole."  Neil looked over at Scott.  "Could you take us with you?  I think…"  He trailed off, glancing tactfully at Bernard.

            Scott nodded.  He couldn't take one of the other three, but the ability to teleport one's family members came with being Santa.  "Should we go, then?"

            "Wait."  Quentin took the hands of Bianca and Sherwin.  "Can you take Dimitri, Bernard?"

            "What – oh."  Bernard tried to focus.  "Yes, I think so."

            "Good.  We're ready, then."

            Everyone disappeared in a shower of golden light.

            But when Bernard's eyes cleared, they were standing in the midst of a snowy wasteland.  He looked around blankly.

            "Is this the North Pole?" Dimitri asked, concerned.  "I don't see the others."

            "This isn't where I was aiming," Bernard said, shaking his head a little, to clear it.  He must not have been concentrating properly.  "I – I have to try again."

            The scene dissolved.  Suddenly, they were surrounded by a crowd of people – human people.

            "This can't be right!" Dimitri said, as the terrified people began gabbling in another language.  "Bernard, where are we?"

            "I don't know."  Bernard raised a trembling hand to his temple, swaying slightly.  "I can't – I'm not – "  He stared at Dimitri desperately.  "It's like I can't think straight!"

            "Well, you'd better try harder," Dimitri said grimly, "or we'll never get out of here!"  He gripped the elf's shoulders.  "We've got to get out – no one but you knows what happened to Ebony!"

            Those were exactly the words Bernard needed to give him the concentration to get to the North Pole.  In fact, his mind snapped into focus so clearly that it was physically painful.  Trying to ignore it, he snapped his fingers anyway – and they were there, in a shower of ominously black sparks.

            "Bernard!"  Scott was the first to get to his Head Elf, catching Bernard as he nearly collapsed.  "What happened?"

            "He missed," Dimitri said.  "Twice."

            "Twice?"  Scott was horrified.  "Bernard missed a teleportation spell to his home – _twice_?"

            "But he's never flubbed a teleport," Quentin said, frowning.  "Not since he was seven hundred."

            "Well, he flubbed this one," Dimitri said impatiently.

            "Can I see him?"  Without waiting for an answer, Neil took the elf from Scott's arms, sitting on the floor beside him.  "Bernard?  Can you hear me?"

            "Of course he can hear you," Scott snapped.  "Don't be stupid."

            Neil gave Scott an extremely disapproving look.  "This is part of my job, Scott.  I don't tell you how to deliver toys.  You can trust me to know how to deal with emotional trauma."

            "What emotional trauma?" Curtis asked, as he and Judy hurried out.  "Is everyone back – "  He and Judy both froze, catching sight of their Head Elf.  "Bernard?"

            "Oh, no!"  Judy shook off her paralysis and ran forward.  "What happened?  Is he ok?"

            "He's in shock," Scott explained absently, watching Neil anxiously.  "Are you _sure_ you know what you're doing?"  When Neil ignored him, Scott shook his head and turned to Judy in frustration.  "Is Father Time on the way?"

            "What – oh, yes."  Judy stared up at Scott, eyes wide.  "Who did this to him?"

            "If I understand what Neil's told me about emotional shock, I think he did it to himself," Charlie spoke up.  "He heard something that he couldn't cope with, so his mind sort of shut down."

            "And he was teleporting like that?"  Judy's voice rose to a higher pitch in her panic.  "But teleportation is all in the mind – he knows better than to try it when he's upset about something!  What was he thinking?"

            "I don't think he was really thinking much at all," Dimitri said.  "We visited a snowy desert, and what looked like Japan, before he finally managed to get us here."

            "Bernard made mistakes teleporting?"  Curtis looked like his world was crashing down around his ears.  "But – he _can't_ mess up like that!  He doesn't make that kind of mistake!"  He turned to Scott beseechingly.  "He'll be ok, won't he?  He has to be!"

            Bernard groaned.  All eyes snapped back to him.  The elf seemed to see the room he'd teleported to for the first time.  "Did we make it?" he asked unsteadily.

            "Thank God!"  Scott crushed Bernard in a fierce hug.  "Are you ok?"

            Bernard shook his head slowly.  He mumbled something unintelligible.

            "What was that?"  Scott released him.

            "Ebony."  There was still a half-glazed look in Bernard's eyes.  "She's missing."

            "That's right, Bernard," Neil said kindly.  "Do you know what happened to her?"

            "The Time Flies," Bernard said, as if speaking from a great distance.  "They must have found her – it's the only thing that could have happened."

            "That's what I was afraid of."

            Father Time entered the Entry Hall of the North Pole, looking decidedly grim.  "I knew as soon as the Time Flies were released," he continued, approaching Scott and the others.  "Unfortunately, once they escaped the confinements I placed on them, I had no way to know what had happened to them."

            "What are they?" Scott asked, frowning.  "Why do they want your daughter?"

            "The two questions are related, as a matter of fact," Father Time said.  "The Time Flies rebelled against my authority long ago.  They were Moments, my servants, once, but instead of arranging Time to suit mortals, they chose to feed off it.  They can devour Time, in a sense, by turning it to their own purposes.  People refer to subconscious memories of the Time Flies when they speak of 'stolen time' or a 'lost moment.'"

            "What does that have to do with Ebony, sir?" Charlie asked politely.

            "She is a creature of Time," Father Time said.  "When she dies, her magical powers, all relating to Time, will be naturally released back into the Workings of Time.  However, the Time Flies want to stop this, stealing her power for themselves."

            "They want to kill her?"  Bernard finally showed some real interest in the conversation – even if that interest was sheer terror.

            "They can't kill her directly," Father Time said.  "She's still half human, so they've probably taken her somewhere to die a natural death."

            "Where?  I've got to find her – I can't leave her alone – "  Bernard's voice broke.

            Father Time studied the elf carefully for a moment before answering.  "I don't know where.  As many Moments as I can spare are attempting to track her through all the dimensions."

            "How long?"  Bernard's words were barely a whisper.

            "Three days," Father Time said.  "That's the fastest I can manage and still be accurate."

            "Three days – she'll be dead!"  Bernard looked like he was going to burst into tears.

            "No – no, Bernard, listen!"  Judy took her friend's hands.  "You've forgotten your lessons about other dimensions.  It takes longer to die there.  The dimension of reality brings death the quickest, but you know she isn't there.  She could be here, in the dimension of Christmas, or in the Underhill dimension of the Sidhe, or somewhere else!  She'll last at least three days easily!"

            Bernard didn't look convinced, but he no longer seemed on the verge of tears.  Scott was relieved.  There was something wrong with the idea of clever, capable Bernard weeping like a small child.

            "Look, everyone, Bernard needs rest," Neil interrupted the conversation.  "Is there a clinic we can take him to?"

            "I don't need rest," Bernard objected.  "I have to help Ebony!"

            "You need to rest if you expect to be in any condition to help in three days," Dimitri said sternly.

            "I'll go with him to the Hospital Department," Judy said, biting her lip.  "But – if one of you could come with us?  In case he needs help walking?"

            "I don't need help – "  Bernard stumbled, trying to get to his feet.  Neil caught him.  "Thanks," the elf said grudgingly.

            The three of them headed off, trailed by Laura.

            "So… what exactly is going on?" Sherwin asked at last.

            Dimitri and Bianca exchanged glances.  Then Dimitri turned respectfully to Father Time.  "I think you'd better explain, sir."

            "So – how is he?"

            Jason, the head of the Hospital Department, looked up as Carol entered.  He didn't have to ask which patient Mrs. Clause was referring to.

            "Do you want the honest answer, or the comforting one?" he asked.

            Carol winced.  "Aren't they the same?  Better be honest."

            Jason sighed.  "He's not doing very well.  That human psychiatrist is in there with him, and I've sent for the Elfheim Hospital for one of their healers.  But – I don't know.  We just aren't prepared to deal with a serious trauma of this nature."

            "It must not happen very often here," Carol said.

            "Hardly ever," Jason agreed, his distress plain.  "It takes a lot to shock an elf this badly."  He sighed explosively.  "I just wish someone would explain to me _why_!"

            Carol frowned.  "Why what?"

            "Why he reacted like this!" Jason said in frustration.  "From all accounts it was hearing what happened to that girl that drove him into this, but it just doesn't make sense!  He barely knew her, after all.  Regret, guilt, those emotions I could understand – but this!"  Jason grabbed Carol's hand in his earnestness.  "He's grieving, Mrs. Clause.  It's like he lost a close friend, or a sister – or a beloved.  But she just didn't have the _time_ to be any of that!"

            Carol laid a hand on Jason's shoulder comfortingly, as she mulled over what he'd said.  She'd noticed on Thanksgiving that Bernard had a peculiar fixation on Ebony – emotions were some of the things she could pick up by virtue of her role as Mrs. Clause.  But Jason had a point.  This reaction was far too intense for a mere infatuation, and there hadn't been time for Ebony to become more than that.

            "May I see him?" Carol asked, once Jason was calmer.  "Maybe there's something I can do."

            "It can't hurt," Jason said, not sounding at all hopeful.  Despite his pessimism, he led Carol back to where Bernard was seated on a couch, across from Neil.

            She caught her breath on seeing the Head Elf for the first time after his return.  Bernard was pale, and he trembled slightly, as if he didn't even realize he was doing so.  His eyes seemed to look through the world, not seeing what was right before him, focused on images inside his head.  For the first time in year that Carol had known him, Bernard looked as young and vulnerable as any of the other elves – and it scared her.

            "Carol."  Neil looked up at her, a little relieved.  "Would you like to talk to Bernard?"

            "Yes – "  Carol hesitated, looking at the elf.  "If you don't mind, Bernard."

            He shook his head wordlessly.

            "All right, then."  Neil stood.  "Jason, why don't we go and – um – pretend we have something better to do?"

            The two males went back to the front of the hospital, leaving Carol alone with Bernard.  "Hi, Bernard," Carol said softly.  "Can I sit down?"

            He slowly turned his head to look up at her.  "You don't have to talk like I can't understand you," he said.  "There's nothing wrong with my hearing."

            "All right."  Carol took this to mean that she could sit beside him, and did so.  "How are you feeling?"

            "Like part of me disappeared with Ebony," Bernard said, his voice sounding dead.  "You know, I think I knew something like this was going to happen.  I'm absolutely rotten at foresight, but I think I knew anyway.  I told her to go somewhere safe.  I told her not to follow me.  I just couldn't stand the thought that she might get hurt because of me."

            "It isn't your fault," Carol tried to tell him.

            "No?"  Bernard raised his eyebrows.  "Just before I had to go after Sherwin, she tracked me down with her magic.  She said – things – "  He stopped for a moment, briefly closing his eyes.  "I should have known she'd follow me.  It's exactly the sort of reckless, brave, _stupid_ thing she'd do."

            "You mustn't blame yourself," Carol said firmly.  "You couldn't have known she'd follow you after you told her not to.  You did everything you could have."

            Bernard looked down.  "No.  No, I didn't.  I could have told her…"

            "Told her what?" Carol probed carefully.  She could sense that she was getting close to the source of Bernard's real pain – if she could just get him to reveal the rest of it.

            "We were talking," Bernard said, speaking for all the world as if he were alone in the room.  "I said it was impossible, but she wouldn't listen."

            "What was?"

            Bernard met Carol's eyes, and she nearly gasped at the emptiness she saw in his gaze.  "For us to be together," he said simply.

            "Oh."  Carol's jaw dropped.  "_Oh_.  That explains a lot."

            "She wanted to follow me."  Bernard bit his lip in an effort not to cry.  "She didn't want me to be hurt.  She came after me to try to keep me safe – that's why she got caught.  I never even told her…"  His head dropped down, as if he could no longer bear to hold it up.

            Carol frowned a little.  Bernard was mourning what he'd never said, that much was clear – but it didn't sound like he wished he'd warned her.  This was more emotional… almost as if…

            "Bernard?"  Carol tilted his chin up so that the elf had to look into her eyes.  "Were you two in love?"

            Bernard jerked away as if he'd been scorched.  "No!  I can't – we can't – it doesn't make sense!  She's human – a mortal – she'll die – I can't lose someone else!  I _can't_!  I told her, but she wouldn't listen.  She said – we were connected – "  Bernard's words abruptly turned to sobs, racking his body with their violence.  The pent-up tears rushed forth so powerfully, so relentlessly, that he began coughing, in between the sobs.

            "Jason!" Carol yelled, terrified that the elf would seriously hurt himself.  "Neil!  Come quick!"

            The two came running before she even finished the words, with Scott half a pace behind.  Jason, being a physical doctor, began issuing rapid orders, with Neil as a temporary assistant.

            "What did you say to him?" Scott demanded of his wife, caught up in panic at seeing his Head Elf in such agony.

            But Carol was too deep in thought to respond.  "I think I understand," she murmured, watching as Jason and Neil got Bernard slowly calmed down.

            "Understand what?" Scott asked, bewildered.

            "Scott," Carol turned to her husband, her eyes grim, "if we have any hope of helping Bernard, we've got to get Ebony back."

Author's Note – Again, a cliffhanger.  I hope you all enjoyed Psychotic!Bernard.  Anyway, Carol has now uncovered all the secrets of the universe – or at least a good part of the remaining plot.  Next chapter – the rescue mission is planned.

Added Disclaimer – "Why don't we go and pretend we have something better to do?" – _Charmed_

Thank you everyone who reviewed!

**ShadowGraffiti** – Yep, Bernard is definitely hurting himself with his personal issues – though probably not quite in the way you meant. ^_^

**Melena Marquis** – Ebony is pretty much out of the picture for a little while, but your questions should be answered soon.

Zhai'helleva!

 - Mystica


	8. Who Wouldn't Go?

Time Flies

Author's Note – Sorry about the delay. I've been at writing camp. Anyway, the rescue mission begins!

Disclaimer – All _Santa Clause_ characters belong to Disney. All original characters belong to me. And so on, and so forth.

**Chapter 8 – Who Wouldn't Go?**

            " – and so the Cosmetics Department says they can use the surplus of glitter to make some body lotion – "  Curtis stopped in the middle of his weekly report to the gathered Department Heads.  "Bernard?  Are you listening?"

            "Hmm?"  The Head Elf looked up, realizing that the eyes of all the Department Heads were on him.  "Yes, of course.  Keep going."

            "Right."  Curtis eyed him suspiciously for a moment, before continuing.  "The residential kitchen staff is complaining because the gift kitchen staff is ransacking their supplies of sugar.  We're especially low on powdered sugar, so we may have a lack of frosted desserts until we get another shipment of powdered sugar in.  And incidentally, I've been thinking that we would save money if we ate live toads for breakfast every morning."  Curtis paused, then scowled.  "Bernard, you _aren't_ listening!"

            "Yes, I am," Bernard protested.

            "Then what was I talking about?" Curtis challenged.

            "Um…" Bernard took a wild stab, "bicycles?"

            "You know, I think this meeting has gone on long enough," Scott spoke up, cutting off whatever angry response Curtis was preparing to make.  "Why don't we leave it here for this week?"

            "I agree," Jason said, after a deliberately casual glance at Bernard, to evaluate the Head Elf's stamina.  Bernard had only just resumed his duties as Head Elf that day, two days after his collapse, but Jason clearly felt that Bernard wasn't ready to do so yet.

            "Good," Scott said.  "Then you're all free to go.  Except for you, Bernard – I'd like to talk to you."

            As the other Department Heads filed out, Scott turned to Bernard.  "So how are you handling the return of your duties?"

            "Oh – fine."  Bernard smiled with forced brightness.  "What makes you think otherwise?"

            Scott couldn't believe Bernard was even able to ask the question.  The elf was nothing like his former self – he was pale, he'd lost weight, and there was always a slightly fevered look in his eyes, as though his mind wasn't entirely stable.  Maybe it wasn't – Bernard hadn't been able to concentrate on anything for more than a few minutes at a time.  The contrast between his past and present selves was painful.

            "I'm worried about you," Scott said finally, settling on a simple response.

            "Don't be," Bernard said quickly.  He began tapping his knuckles on the table in nervous rhythm that had to be entirely unconscious.  "I don't want you to worry."

            "How can I help it?" Scott countered.  "Two days ago I thought you were gone for good, and I still don't know why.  Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"

            "There's nothing to talk about," Bernard snapped.  "I'm perfectly fine.  In fact, I've never been better."

            "Then you have some skewed priorities."  Scott took Bernard's wrist.  "Look at your arm – you're too thin.  When was the last time you ate something?"

            Bernard looked away.  "It doesn't matter."

            "It matters to me!" Scott objected.  "It matters to all your friends.  Or don't we count anymore?"

            Bernard jerked his arm away.  "I don't want to talk about it."

            Scott forced back the angry words.  Fighting with Bernard wouldn't help anything. "All right," he said at last. "If you're sure."

            "I am." The elf turned and left.

            Scott watched him go, deeply concerned. There was no help for it – he couldn't just leave Bernard that way. He was going to have to talk to Carol.

            "You know what I told you, Scott," Carol said impatiently, once he'd gotten her alone. "I won't betray a confidence. He'd never trust me again."

            "Isn't his health more important than a broken promise?" Scott demanded. "He could die of this!"

            "You knowing won't change that," Carol said. "Just believe me – he won't be the same until he knows that Ebony will survive."

            "But he barely knows her," Scott said, frustrated. "It was confusing enough when he kissed her – "

            "He kissed her?" Carol interrupted sharply. "How do you know?"

            Scott had the grace to look sheepish. "Cupid came by to tell me about it."

            "He did _what_?" Carol said indignantly.

            "It's not like that," Scott hastened to reassure her. "He was worried. And I think he has good reason to be. Carol, they were glowing. And that wasn't Christmas magic, or elf magic, because I checked with Curtis, Judy, and Kioshi. And now he feels responsible for her…" Scott trailed off, realization creeping up on him. "Is he in love with her?"

            "I don't know. That's not the point. They were _glowing_? While kissing?" Carol frowned. "I just can't believe he'd kiss her at all. He's so frightened of romance…"

            "He's what?" Scott asked blankly. "What are you talking about?"

            "Don't you pay attention?" Carol asked, exasperated. "He shies away from available women like they carry the plague, and he never goes near Genevieve. I think they had a relationship once."

            "Genevieve?" Scott remembered the girl, her gentle personality the exact opposite of her fiery hair. "But he has to deal with her, she's a Department Head."

            "No, Curtis and Judy always do," Carol said. "And she doesn't speak at meetings, and she's seated at the opposite end of the table from him. You'll notice that Mark avoids Bernard, too."

            "Mark – that's right," Scott recalled, "he and Genevieve are seeing each other."

            "So you do notice some things," Carol said. "Well, maybe that has something to do with why they were glowing. Or it could be because Ebony's a child of Time."

            "Cupid said that, too," Scott said thoughtfully. "Maybe we should tell Father Time about it."

            "You haven't yet?" Carol demanded incredulously. "What are you waiting for? Suppose it helps bring her back!"

            "It's not my place to tell," Scott objected. "Bernard ought to do it, and he's in no shape to tell anyone anything."

            "Then I will," Carol said determinedly.

            "Or I could tell him after all," Scott said quickly. "He should be coming here any time now, to let us know what he's found out about Ebony."

            As if on cue, Judy stuck her head in the door. "Santa?" she said. "Father Time's here to see you."

            "Bernard!"

            Bernard looked up from the paperwork he was trying to concentrate on, startled at the impatience in Curtis's voice. From the sound of it, the other elf had called him several times now. "What?"

            "Father Time's here – " Curtis began.

            "Where?" Bernard demanded.

            "Well, Santa's office, but he – "

            Bernard didn't wait to hear the rest. He teleported directly to the office, startling Scott, Carol, and Father Time.

            "Bernard!" Scott exclaimed, surprised. "I just sent Judy for you."

            "Curtis told me." Bernard turned to Father Time. "Do you know anything?"

            "Yes, actually." Father Time didn't look particularly pleased. "We've located her in Destiny. The most undefined realm in the dimension of Time."

            "What does that mean?" Bernard asked anxiously. "We can get her out, right?"

            "I hope so." Father Time sighed. "If it weren't for the Time Flies, I'd say yes. Unfortunately, the Time Flies can travel through Destiny with the skill of any of my Moments. I can protect two people at a time from the worst of the Flies while they're in Destiny, but that will require all my concentration, leaving me open to attack. And, should there be an attack, the two people in Destiny would be left to fend for themselves while I fought off the Time Flies in this dimension."

            "But it can be done, can't it?" Bernard stared almost pleadingly at Father Time.

            "I suppose," Father Time said reluctantly. "But it can't be a Moment who goes into Destiny. I can't protect the Moments, and the Flies can break down their protections. I'll have to find a volunteer – "

            "I'll go," Bernard said at once.

            "Will you really?" Father Time gave the elf a hard look. "Even knowing you may not come back?"

            "Bernard, you might want to think about this a little more," Scott said, alarmed. "There has to be someone else – "

            "I don't want it to be someone else," Bernard said stubbornly. "I have to do this for her."

            Carol laid a hand on Scott's arm. "It's his decision, not yours," she reminded him. "I agree – he's the one who has to do this."

            Bernard looked over at Carol, and didn't smile, exactly, because he never smiled anymore, but at least seemed less unhappy than he had been. "Thank you." He turned back to Father Time. "So when can we start?"

            "Now, if you're ready," Father Time said. "It will take about an hour to prepare, and then you can go ahead."

            Bernard nodded solemnly. "I'm ready."

            "Good," Father Time said. "Then we can go to Atlantis now."

            "Wait!" Scott said quickly, ignoring Carol's elbow in his ribs. "I think I ought to go, too."

            Father Time raised his eyebrows. "There will be nothing for you to do," he warned.

            "Call it moral support," Scott said.

            "All right," Father Time agreed, as if it made no difference to him one way or the other. "Do you want to come, too, Mrs. Clause?"

            "No, I think I'll stay here," Carol said, giving Scott a sharp glare. "Since it's so close to Christmas and all."

            Before Scott could reply, Father Time waved his hand in a sweeping circle – and the office dissolved into a flowering meadow.

            "Bernard!" Bianca cried, jumping to her feet from where she, Sherwin, and Dimitri were seated on the ground. "You're here!"

            "Are you going to be the one who enters Destiny?" Dimitri asked, looking thoughtful.

            "Yes," Bernard said distractedly. He hadn't seen these three since they'd left the Millers' house. Talking to them again reminded him of the terrible sense of loss that had hit him when he'd realized Ebony was gone. He missed her all the time – while he was sleeping, while he supervised the various departments, even while he brushed his teeth or put on his shoes. He missed her so much that it seemed to take over all of his other emotions, and he couldn't even stop long enough to wonder why he felt this way.

            "Then shall we get started?" Father Time seated himself on the grass, looking decidedly odd among the flowers in his old-fashioned robe. "Do you still have the compass you used to find her in the human world?"

            "Do I – what?" Surprised at the question, Bernard reached up to find the chain still around his neck. He hadn't noticed its weight at all over the past few days. "Yes. Do you want it back?"

            "No. But you're going to need it," Father Time told him. "Once you get into Destiny, you'll be in the same dimension as she is, and it will work again. You can use it to find exactly where in the dimension she is."

            "That's it?" Bernard asked dubiously. It seemed like something so important should be more complicated.

            "Not quite," Father Time said. "You'll be carrying one other thing – an hourglass. I can protect you in Destiny indefinitely, provided I am not attacked. However, you, not being a creature of Time, can only last about an hour in Destiny without feeling ill effects. Ebony can last longer," he added, correctly interpreting the elf's stricken expression. "Half of her is born of Time."

            "How long does she have?" Bernard asked in dread.

            Father Time shrugged. "I don't know," he admitted. "More than an hour, certainly. Once she's been trained, she'll be able to last longer, but untrained… I'd place it anywhere between a day and a week."

            "Then she could – "

            "Nothing has happened to her yet," Father Time interrupted calmingly. "I'd know. But it is imperative that she leave that dimension as soon as possible." He stood. "If you will come with me while I make my preparations?"

            Everyone else moved to get up, but Father Time gestured for them to stop. "Just Bernard, please. The rest of you remain here. I need to speak with him alone."

            The others looked uneasy at this, but had no choice except to agree. Bernard followed Father Time across the meadow to a cloud of mist. They passed through this into a room that looked suspiciously like a mad scientist's laboratory.

            "My workshop," Father Time said unnecessarily. "We will not be disturbed here."

            But despite his words of wanting to speak to Bernard in private, he seemed to immediately forget that the elf was there, busying himself with hourglasses of different sizes, and strange instruments studded with gemstones in strategic places.

            Bernard watched, feeling calmer than he had in days. Finally, he was able to do something to help. It would be dangerous, yes, but anything was better than sitting back and letting Ebony fade away in Destiny. He was vaguely amazed, as much as he could still feel any emotion, that Scott had even suggested that someone else go. It had never occurred to him that he wouldn't be the one to save Ebony.

            "I wonder why you were the one chosen to gather my children."

            Bernard jumped at Father Time's words. The old man wasn't even looking at him, intent on the worktable he was bending over. "Well – Santa asked me. I'm the only elf –"

            "That's not what I meant." Father Time held a glowing piece of amber to the light, examining it minutely. "The dimension of Destiny is a strange one. It both affects and reflects all actions – even mine, on occasion. My daughter has been taken to Destiny. You, for no reason that I can see, wish to follow and rescue her."

            "I have to – " Bernard began.

            "Yes, you've mentioned," Father Time said calmly. "But you haven't given much of an explanation as to why you 'have to.' Destiny's threads stretch throughout all the Workings of Time, and I have to wonder if one has ensnared you even now."

            "I'm not ensnared!" Bernard said angrily.

            "Perhaps not." Father Time set down the amber in favor of a pale rose quartz, shaking his head at the imperfections in the stone. "I simply wonder, as is my job. Of course, if you are held by Destiny, you would hardly know about it. The threads can stretch across years, even centuries, as delicate as a butterfly's wing, as unyielding as diamonds. It is Destiny that bestows the happy endings, Destiny that commands the tragedies. Not even I can control it – I only attempt read what it says, and record what it allows me to learn."

            "It can do that?" Bernard asked, worried. What if it tried to keep him from Ebony?

            "If it chooses. Destiny is… peculiar," Father Time said. "I could explain for hours, but you still won't understand until you see if for yourself. At any rate, I didn't bring you here to explain the inexplicable. I want to ask you something." He set the quartz down, and turned to face Bernard directly, twin infinities of deep blue boring into the elf's eyes. "Are you in love with my daughter?"

            "Am I – what?" Bernard stared at the older man blankly. "Why – "

            "I don't ask as a mythical power," Father Time interrupted, suddenly looking just as elderly as he had to be, "but as an old man worried about his daughter. Do you love her?"

            Bernard shook his head slowly – not in negation, but in simple confusion. "I don't know. I – I don't know."

            Father Time looked into Bernard's eyes a moment longer, as if reading every crevice of the elf's soul, before breaking the gaze. He sighed deeply. "Please decide soon, then. I don't want to regain my daughter only to have her heart broken. And Bernard," he smiled faintly, "if you do decide you care for her, you have my blessing."

            "Are you sure you want to do this? It's not too late to back out." Scott watched Bernard anxiously, feeling oddly like a father to the youthful-looking elf, despite the tremendous age difference.

            "I'm sure." Bernard's voice was distant, as if his mind was already traveling through Destiny.

            "And I'm afraid it _is_ too late to back out," Father Time said, entering the room, trailed by his three children. Dimitri was carrying a pile of strange-looking equipment.

            "What's all that?" Scott asked, worried.

            "Instruments from my workshop," Father Time said. "I'll need to work here, so that Bernard can enter Destiny directly." He gestured to the three doors, on the three far walls of the hexagonal room.

            "Where do they lead?" Sherwin asked curiously, raking his hair out of his eyes to get a better look.

            "The one on the left leads to History," Father Time explained. It was a plain door, simple, rectangular, and wooden. "Don't be fooled by appearances – it's more complicated than it seems. The one on the right is the Present." This one was reminiscent of the entryways into spaceships in some sci-fi movies Scott had seen, the doors withdrawing into the walls to leave a vertical circle to walk through. "It leads to wherever I wish within the bounds of Time."

            "And the middle door?" Sherwin hadn't needed to ask the question. Even without the process of elimination, it was clear that this was the door that had to lead to Destiny. Strange runes were inscribed on the doorframe, but there was nothing beyond the walls except for a thin layer of shifting white fog.

            Father Time smiled. "Destiny hardly needs an introduction. Either you recognize it for itself on your own, or you will never know it." He began setting up the equipment Dimitri had brought in. "Come here, Bernard."

            The elf did so.

            "Bianca, give him the hourglass," Father Time commanded. Bernard accepted it, holding it gently, as if terrified that he might bring harm to it. "It won't break, you know. My hourglasses are stronger than ordinary glass."

            "Isn't that kind of small?" Scott asked dubiously. The hourglass was the size of his palm. It didn't look like it would last five minutes, let alone a whole hour.

            Father Time gave Scott a Look. "Things are not always what they seem," he said coldly.

            "Right." Scott tried to look as if he understood this.

            Bernard slipped the hourglass onto the chain around his neck with the compass. "Is this it?"

            "For you, yes." Father Time made one last adjustment to his instruments. "I will of course continue to do things here, but you can go now."

            "Wait, shouldn't he – " Scott stopped talking. There was no point. Bernard had gone before the first word had gotten out of his mouth.

            Under other circumstances, Destiny might have been beautiful. It was like walking through a sunrise, a mist full of golds, silvers, and shifting rainbows. There was no floor, exactly, but in this place it was possible to walk on air.

            Bernard was in no mood to appreciate any of it. The mist playfully ruffled his hair, and he pushed it out of his eyes in irritation, peering at his compass. The arrow wasn't cooperating. He jabbed Ebony's button again. There – it spun to choose a direction, pointing with great certainty.

            Without hesitation, Bernard trekked off in that direction. He had only an hour, after all – no time to waste gaping at pretty clouds or invisible floors.

            As he went, forms began to appear in the mists of Destiny. At first, he thought he was imagining it – why would his family, his friends, his enemies be in Destiny? But when his mother stepped out in front of him, he couldn't deny it any longer.

            "Mother?" Bernard stared at her blankly, rubbing his eyes in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"

            "I've been looking for you," she said, her black hair cascading down her back in arranged elegance. "I miss you, back Underhill. We all do. We'd like you to come home – your father and I both."

            Bernard shook his head rapidly, confused. "What? My father's dead."

            "Oh, no!" Danica smiled affectionately. "He's not, you know. He's been living with me. We were just waiting to be sure we wanted to stay together before telling you. After all, it must have been bad enough growing up without parents, without dashing your hopes of a new home."

            Bernard had no idea how to react to this. Danica laughed. "You don't believe me?" She called out into the mists, "Aubrey, he doesn't believe me! Come help!"

            A Christmas elf, a brown-eyed boy who looked about twelve, seemed to materialize out of a cloud. "You don't really mean that, do you, Bernard?" he said, grinning crookedly. "You don't believe your own parents? That's crazy."

            Bernard took a step backwards. "Dad…" It was his father, just as the elf had been before he'd died, despite the fact that he looked young enough to be Bernard's kid brother. "How…"

            "You didn't really think I'd just abandon you, did you?" Aubrey asked, laughing. "I said I'd stay with you forever, kid. I keep my promises. Why don't we go home? I want to get to know the man my boy's grown up to be."

            Bernard shook his head violently. "No – no! I've got to find Ebony!"

            "Ebony?" Danica's nose wrinkled in distaste. "What's that?"

            "She's my – my – " Bernard stopped. What was she to him? His responsibility? But no, that had ended when he'd brought the others here. He was free from all obligations, except for those that were self-imposed. So that made her his… his friend? Was that right? It seemed to fit, as nearly as anything could. "She's my friend."

            "Really." Danica and Aubrey exchanged significant glances.

            "And I've got to find her," Bernard added, urgency coloring his words. How could he have delayed here so long? Terrible things could be happening to her! He was wasting his precious hour in Destiny.

            "You won't get this opportunity again," Danica said sharply. Bernard noticed that now, her voice sounded closer to the way he remembered it – harsh, proud, commanding. Not soft, not motherly, never gentle. It hadn't sounded like her at all, before… more like the way he'd always wished she would sound.

            "_The dimension of Destiny is a strange one."_ Father Time's words echoed in Bernard's ears. The elf drew back a little from his parents – what he'd thought were his parents.

            "You aren't real," he said harshly.

            "That's where you're wrong," Aubrey said, his grin broadening. "What you find here is what you make of it. We're real if we're believed in."

            "I won't believe in you," Bernard retorted.

            Danica laughed. "You already do."

            They stepped back – or maybe they faded away into the mist. Bernard couldn't tell the difference. All he knew was that one second they were there, the next, they were gone.

            Bernard shivered. The mists of Destiny seemed colder, somehow, now that his parents were gone. _They were never really here,_ he told himself firmly. He refocused his mind on Ebony, and checked his directions against the compass. He frowned. Somehow, he'd gotten turned around. Now, it was pointed off to his left. He shrugged, and headed off again.

            What had that been? Why had his parents appeared here, of all places? He considered the possibilities as he walked. The most obvious was that his presence was shaping Destiny to fit his subconscious mind… but that didn't seem to mesh with what Father Time had said. He'd spoken of Destiny as if the place could act of its own free will – as if it could think, and choose to do such things. That was worrying – what sort of place was this, where Ebony was trapped?

            "Wait!"

            Bernard stopped at the familiar voice, turning automatically to look. Judy stood just to his right, looking anxious. He pulled away from her. "You aren't real," he accused the image of his friend.

            "Bernard, there's trouble," the elf girl said, ignoring his claim. "The Time Flies are attacking – we need you to come back."

            Bernard shook his head. "This is some sort of trick," he said. "You want me to leave."

            "Why would we want that?" This time it was Curtis, now standing beside Judy. "We want you to rescue Ebony. If it were a perfect world, you could. But we need you to return. It's your duty."

            "You're lying," Bernard said, eyes narrowing. "You're only images, fakes – "

            "Does it matter if we are?" Judy asked reasonably. "The words still ring true. The Time Flies have still attacked, as you knew they planned to. You are still needed. What difference does it make, if we are real or imagined?"

            "What reason do we have to lie to you?" Curtis added. "We've done nothing to make you believe we're against you. We're on your side, Bernard."

            Bernard hesitated. He had always obeyed the call of duty, even when it hurt. He'd thrown himself into his work to forget his broken heart, and his job had become his life. In that kind of existence, duty became all-powerful. He was needed, back with his friends. They called him.

            But didn't Ebony need him too? She did – more than the others. She would die, if he didn't get to her. He had to get to her, had to find her, or she would be destroyed by the Time Flies just as these – things – were implying his friends would be. But they could defend themselves – Ebony couldn't. It was his fault she was here in the first place. He had a duty to see to it that she got out. And that was stronger than the pull he felt to return to his friends.

            "I can't," he said at last.

            Judy smiled. "You mean you won't," she corrected.

            "Does it make a difference?" Bernard asked impatiently.

            The two elves shared a glance. Judy laughed. "You know that it does," she said, just before she and Curtis faded into the mists.

            Bernard frowned, then waved a hand experimentally where the figures had been. What was going on? This was getting very strange. He had the feeling that something – someone? – was playing with him… and he didn't like that idea at all.

            Just to make sure, Bernard rechecked his compass – and stared at it in disbelief. It was pointing back the way he'd come.

            "This is ridiculous," he said aloud, not sure who he was speaking to. Himself? The compass? Or the force in Destiny that seemed to be manipulating him.

            "Of course it is."

            Bernard looked up, and a part of him wasn't really surprised by what he saw. Genevieve and Ordella stood in front of him, blocking the path he had to follow. Even though he'd almost been expecting it, a steel vise clamped around his heart at the sight of the two girls he'd cared so deeply for.

            "Let me guess," he said, trying desperately to keep his voice steady. "You aren't real, either."

            Genevieve smiled gently. "We're only as real as you make us. You should listen when people tell you things."

            "The others," Bernard said, the words escaping before he could think to hold them back.

            Ordella laughed – not the cold, sparkling laugh he remembered, but warmer, friendlier. "What others?" she asked. "Don't you understand yet? There are no others here. There is no 'here' for them to be."

            Bernard stared at her. "You know what?" he said finally. "No. I don't understand. You and those other fakes, whether they were real or not, you all keep talking in riddles – and I'm sick of it. I'm leaving."

            Bernard set off determinedly, and the girls didn't move to stop him as he walked past. However, it was no more than a few seconds later that they were directly in front of him again.

            "How did you do that?" Bernard demanded. "I left you back there!"

            "You can never leave us behind, Bernard," Genevieve said. She walked towards him, her eyes dark with unreadable emotions. Was it concern – love – pity – fear? "Can't you see?"

            "What do you want me to see?" Bernard exploded. "I don't understand what you're talking about! Either explain it to me, or let me by!"

            "We're part of you."

            This time, when Bernard spun around, he saw Kioshi, looking as unruffled as ever. "What are you talking about?"

            "You asked for an explanation," Kioshi said. "I'm giving it. We are all part of you. We represent what matters to you most, deep in the darkest parts of your heart that you try not to think about. If you want to get to Ebony, the only way is through us."

            Bernard looked around him. Now he was surrounded by the seven people – Danica, Aubrey, Judy, Curtis, Genevieve, Ordella, and Kioshi. None of them looked particularly menacing at the moment, but that wasn't reassuring. Especially not when every second of delay could mean the difference between life and death, for both Ebony and himself.

            "Then how do I get past you?" Bernard asked warily.

            Kioshi shrugged. "Why do you want to?"

            "To save Ebony." The answer felt too simple, even as Bernard said it.

            "But why do you want to save her?" Danica asked. "Because she is your friend?"

            "Well…" The answer was right, but there was something missing. "Yes."

            "Because she is your responsibility?" Judy said.

            Again, correct as the words were, part of the answer still felt incomplete. "Yes, I guess."

            Ordella and Genevieve looked at each other and smiled. It was a secret smile, and Bernard didn't like it one bit. "Why else?" Genevieve prompted.

            "Because…" Bernard hesitated, looking from face to face, seeing family, friends, and loves. Whatever these creations were, they'd focused on all the important people in his life. But that was it, wasn't it – these faces were creations. They weren't the same people he knew, no matter how they spoke. These were forces of Destiny… and that meant they were testing him.

            "Because I have to." Bernard began with that statement, which he'd never quite been able to get past before now. But now – here, in this place that was nowhere on a mortal map – now he had to try to understand, and vocalize what he did not know. "I have a duty to protect her. She's my friend. I've only known her a little while, but she already means as much to me as any of the people you're impersonating. She's already a part of my life. When she's around me, I feel alive. When she's gone, something inside me dies. It's been like that ever since she was kidnapped. I feel like a plant that's been taken away from the sunlight – I'm withering away without her, and I can't do anything to save myself." Bernard took a deep breath, realizing what it was he was saying. "I need her," he said. "I have to save her because I need her to be near me."

            After a moment's ringing silence, Aubrey laughed. "Good answer," he said, grinning broadly. "I think that's worth something, at least."

            The other six nodded their agreement. "Then I can go to her?" Bernard asked, hardly daring to hope.

            Kioshi held a finger before his lips, clearly telling Bernard to wait. The elf was about to explain in very strong terms exactly why he did not want to be patient, when the seven forms dissolved back into the mists.

            "What the hell?" Bernard glanced suspiciously from side to side. "Where…"

            "There is no 'where' in Destiny."

            To Bernard's astonishment, the mists before him swirled together to form the body of a tall, beautiful woman. Her dark gold hair had many strands of shimmering silver sprinkled through it, and it was amazing that the hair didn't drag her head down. On the left side, her hair ended at chin-length – but on the right side, the tresses tumbled down to swirl with the mists at her feet. And when Bernard raised his eyes to meet her gaze, he was startled, and rather uneasy, to see that her eyes were the same rainbow silver as the mists.

            "You really should pay more attention," the woman continued, smiling gently. "I've said it at least once already."

            "Where's Ebony?" Bernard demanded, looking around as if expecting her to appear from out of nowhere. Which, considering where he was, was perhaps not so unreasonable as it seemed.

            "Is that your first question?" the woman asked, intrigued. "No, never mind, I see that she is your first and only priority right now. I approve. I'm glad to see that you are so focused on her well-being."

            "What do you care about it?" Bernard wanted to know.

            "Oh, a great deal." The woman's smile grew, and Bernard had the oddest feeling that he'd seen her somewhere before. "Ebony is extremely important to me. She, and her three siblings."

            "Then let me past," Bernard snapped.

            "In a moment," the woman said. "Have you not learned patience in all your many centuries, child of the elves?"

            "Of course I have," Bernard said, glaring at her. "That doesn't mean that I'm going to sit here and wait for you to finish talking while Ebony dies!"

            "She isn't going to die quite yet," the woman said, unperturbed. "I want to talk to you, Bernard Emrys. We have a great deal to discuss."

            "We have nothing to discuss!"

            "No?" The woman raised a single eyebrow, and the look on her face was so very like one Ebony often wore that Bernard almost called the girl's name aloud. "Are you quite sure?"

            "Who are you?" Bernard demanded furiously. "Why do you look like her?"

            The woman was unfazed by Bernard's angry tone. "I am Lady Destiny," she said calmly. "You also know of me as Gaia Mnemes. I am Ebony's mother."

Author's Note – Cue the dramatic music, please. ^_^  Or not. Anyway, next chapter Ebony will finally reappear, for better or for worse.

Thank you for reviewing!

ShadowGraffiti – I couldn't keep up that pace of angst…

Jesus-freak – Bernard wants me to tell you that he loves his Ebony plushie. ^_^

Zhai'helleva!

 - Mystica


	9. My True Love Gave To Me

Time Flies

Author's Note – This chapter is very definitely a turning point for the story. Lots of important stuff happens. The truth about Father Time's past relationship comes out. Also, this chapter is where the story really starts to earn its PG-13 rating. I'm pretty sure it doesn't hit R level, but it won't be in the G section anymore.

Disclaimer – All _Santa Clause_ characters belong to Disney.

**Chapter 9 – My True Love Gave To Me**

            "Ebony's mother?" In his shock, Bernard echoed the lady's words. "You can't be!"

            "Can't I?" She smiled. "Why not?"

            "Gaia Mnemes was a human," Bernard said. "She met Father Time without knowing who he was, she loved him, she bore his children, and she died. You are – I don't know _what_ you are, but you aren't her!"

            "I'm afraid I am," Lady Destiny said calmly. "Your story is lovely, of course – a pretty tale to pacify those who ask – but the truth is far stranger. And perhaps not so lovely.

            "I have existed since before Time began. I am not a mythological force, as you understand the meaning of the word. Santa Claus, Cupid, Mother Nature, each of these depends on some part of the 'real world' to continue existing. They are powerful, yes – but limited. What I am has very few limitations."

            "And you are…?" Bernard asked, impatient, but fascinated despite himself.

            Lady Destiny sighed. "I am one of the Powers That Be. I am separate from your world of shifting realities, so that I may direct it. There are others like me, as removed from reality as I, but I do not know them. To remain in control of our power, we must remain isolated, no mortal attachments to weigh us down. If we were to know of one another, we might form attachments. We might care for one another – become friends – " she smiled ironically, " – fall in love."

            "But Father Time…" Bernard began.

            "Oh, yes," Lady Destiny said softly. "Yes, I had to work with one person. Father Time. When one man is all that you know of, for century upon century, millennia onwards through all eternity, you do form a connection – willing or not. And I loved him. There is good reason it was forbidden, you know. I thought of him, above all others, when he should have been nothing more to me than another grain of sand in the desert that I rule.

            "My thoughts strayed to him, time and again, when I should have been weaving the threads of Destiny. And somehow, through my threads, he and I were bound together. I had never been touched by my own powers before, but I – unlike most mortals – had enough sense to know that the threads of Destiny are unbreakable. I traced the pattern of my threads, and I saw what the future would hold.

            "I would meet him. I was happy to know it. He knew of me, or at least suspected that a being like me existed in the mists of Destiny, but I had never fully revealed myself to him. But I would not meet him as myself. For two months, I would be permitted to take the guise of a human, and walk the earth.

            "It was then that he found me. He wanders through the world once a year, and our paths crossed in New York. He believed me to be a human, and though it is imprudent for a mythological personage to love a human, it is hardly forbidden. He fell in love with me in those two months, and the story is much the same as the one you knew. Except for one crucial detail.

            "I did not die, after my children were born. I returned here, to Destiny. I knew that, when the time came, Father Time would find our children, and they would follow the path that my threads wove for them so many years ago. They have begun their journeys on those paths – and you will travel with them."

            "Me?" Bernard had listened quietly to the story to that point, but he couldn't keep silent at that. "What are you talking about? I'm not bound by your threads."

            "Do you really think that you would know of it if you were?" Lady Destiny pointed out. "My threads are subtle and quick. You were ensnared by them long ago. But do not grieve, elf-child – there are worse shackles than the threads of Destiny."

            "That depends on your point of view," Bernard said coldly. "Why are you telling me this? Why should it matter to me whether I'm caught by your threads or not? If you hadn't told me about it, I wouldn't know either way. If I really am bound by the threads of Destiny, I have to act out the part they've given me to play whether I know about it or not."

            "That is true in most cases," Lady Destiny agreed. "But not for you. Your destiny is a great one, little child of the elves, but to fulfill it you must understand it. You must know the truth about my children." She reached out to touch Bernard's cheek, her fingers only as solid as the caress of a summer breeze. "Take care of them, elf-child. Watch over my sons and daughters. They will need so much guidance in the days to come."

            Bernard drew away. "I can't," he whispered. "I – I don't know how."

            Lady Destiny smiled sadly. "You will."

            They stared at one another in a moment that, in the swirling mists of Destiny, was truly Timeless. Finally, Lady Destiny looked away. "I have said what I summoned you to hear. I release you. My daughter's need of you is greater than mine."

            "Ebony…" Bernard paled. How could he have forgotten her? "Ebony! Where is she? Take me to her!"

            "You still do not understand Destiny, do you?" Lady Destiny asked rhetorically. "Even after all I've said. Very well – if mortal concepts are what you require to grasp my domain, mortal concepts you shall have." She waved her arm casually, and the mists in that direction solidified into an archway.

            "Ebony is through there?" Bernard asked.

            Lady Destiny smiled slightly. "Pass through the archway, and I guarantee you will find what you seek."

            That was enough for Bernard. He went.

            He didn't see that Lady Destiny's smile faded, just before her form melted back into the mists of her realm.

            He also didn't see the Time Flies. At least, not until they ambushed him.

            There was darkness. That was the first thing Bernard noticed. Wherever he was, it was very dark.

            Then he realized that this was because his eyes were shut. He tried to open them.

            "Ow…"

            His head hurt. He vaguely recalled being hit. By Time Flies. While he was in Destiny. Looking for – 

            "Ebony!" His eyes shot open.

            "Well, it's about time."

            "Ebony! You – you're alive!" Bernard scrambled to her side, ignoring the aches when his body protested. He was so relieved to see her that it didn't occur to him to wonder why she was just lying there. Or why she looked so pale.

            "You noticed." Her mouth twitched, as if she wanted to smile but couldn't quite make it. "So, any chance that you being captured was all part of some grand master plan too obscure for the understanding of a mere mortal?"

            "What?" Bernard blinked. "Captured?"

            "Yeah. You know, kidnapped by those little grey fairies, dragged here while unconscious, put in this cage thing. Captured."

            "We're in a cage?" Bernard took a look around. "I don't see a cage."

            "Circle," Ebony said, nodding her head towards what passed for the ground. Bernard looked more closely where she'd indicated. Yes, there was some sort of marking there – a grey line, only a few shades darker than the mists. It went all the way around the pair of them, enclosing them in a circle about the size of a small room.

            It didn't look too dangerous, though. Frowning, Bernard reached towards it.

            "Don't!" Ebony gasped, just as his hand touched the line.

            A violent force flung Bernard to the center of the circle, where he lay panting for a moment. As soon as he'd caught his breath enough to move, he crawled back to Ebony.

            "Ok. We're captured," Bernard admitted reluctantly. "In a cage."

            "Not part of the plan, then," Ebony said resignedly.

            "No. Not really." Bernard's heart felt as though a hand squeezed it, seeing the despair in Ebony's eyes. She'd given up. He'd thought that nothing could ever make her give up. "But don't worry – I'll think of something. I'll get you out of here! I promise."

            Ebony shook her head. "How?" she asked wearily. "You think I haven't been trying since they put me here? It can't be done. We're going to die here." She looked away. "You shouldn't have come."

            "I had to save you," Bernard protested. "I couldn't leave you."

            "Why not? You were perfectly willing to when I told you – " She stopped. "Never mind. I don't want to fight now. Just sit with me. I don't think you'll have to wait much longer."

            "What are you talking about?" Bernard stared at her with growing dread.

            "You can't see it?" Again, she came close to smiling, her lips straining against the skin of her cheeks. "Look at me, Bernard. Look at what's happening to me."

            And the details of her appearance that Bernard hadn't wanted to see finally registered. She was pale, her skin tinged with grey. The green color had been leeched from her hair, leaving it a muted brown, and the edges were slowly mingling with the mists. And her eyes – Bernard caught his breath in horror. Her eyes were no longer a hazel green, but the same swirling silver as the mists, flecked with gold and rainbows. They were beautiful – and entirely inhuman.

            "No," he whispered, reaching out to touch her cheek. He half expected his hand to go through her, but she was still reassuringly solid. "No. This can't be happening."

            "I'm sorry, Bernard," Ebony said quietly. Feeling almost removed from the situation, he noticed the whispery quality of her voice, as though she were fighting for every breath. "I know you didn't want to see me die."

            "You're not going to die," Bernard insisted desperately. "Don't talk like that. You're going to live, and meet your family, and be happy with them. They'll come for you. They'll get you out. You'll see."

            "I don't think I have that long," Ebony said. "I can feel myself disappearing. It's not so bad, now that you're here, but it's still happening. I can't stop it. I don't think I have very much time left."

            A tear slid down Bernard's cheek. Ebony tried to raise a hand to wipe it away, but she couldn't manage. "Don't cry," she said. "It's really not so bad as it could be. It doesn't hurt or anything. And you're here. I think – if you hold me – I won't mind."

            Bernard stared at her for a moment, fighting back the tears that burned the backs of his eyes. Then he reached down, and took her in his arms, cradling her body to his. It felt completely right and completely wrong, both at the same time.

            "Thank you." Her words were as soft as the breeze, but they still had power enough to break his heart.

            "It will be all right," he said hopelessly, trying to reassure himself as much as her.

            Ebony sighed. "No, it won't." She looked up at him. "I'm glad you're here. Maybe it's selfish and horrible, since it means you're going to die, too, but I'm glad I got to have this one last moment with you. It really means a lot, that you'd come after me. Especially after everything you said."

            Bernard shook his head. "No – I didn't mean it. Well, I did, actually, but I didn't tell you everything." He hesitated. He'd always shied away from expressing his innermost feelings so openly… but Ebony deserved to hear them. She deserved to know. "I feel the same things you do. We are connected, somehow. And I – I don't think I could be happy without you. I need you. You're part of me."

            Ebony couldn't smile, but some of the sadness left her eyes. "You mean it. I knew you felt something." She pressed closer to him. At first, Bernard thought she was trying to be affectionate – but then he realized that her body was going limp, out of her control. "I'm glad…" Her eyes closed.

            Bernard stared down at her. "No." He brushed her hair away from her face, searching for some sign of consciousness. "No! Ebony!" The tears he'd been fighting off came, but he hardly noticed them. "Ebony, answer me!"

            She didn't. Bernard clung to her body, rocking back and forth in place, as he sobbed. "No… no… no…"

            This couldn't be happening. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Somewhere deep inside, Bernard had taken it for granted that he would be able to save Ebony. He hadn't even considered the possibility of failure. He needed her too much, cared for her too much…

            Loved her too much. It hit him like an electric shock, but he knew as soon as he thought the words that it was true. He was in love with Ebony. That was why he'd been so desperate to bring her safely back. Never mind that he hardly knew her, that there were a thousand reasons not to feel this way. He loved her.

            And he couldn't let her go without a fight.

            Bernard's thoughts were suddenly more clear than they'd been in days. He was thinking quickly, sharply, like broken glass and daggers. She'd said it felt like she was fading away – but that his presence held her back, somehow. He'd anchored her. So all he had to do was give her a firmer anchor, and she'd be able to come back.

            In theory, anyway. It would be harder in practice.

            There was a way to do it, of course. With magic, there was a way to do practically anything. It was just a question of whether the consequences were worth… but no. Bernard dismissed that thought. The consequences couldn't matter. Not when Ebony's life hung in the balance. He would save her. Whatever happened to him, it would be worth it.

            He took a deep breath, looking at her unresponsive face for strength, and began to strip away the mental wards that all telepaths build to keep the thoughts of the outside world from invading their every waking moment. It was harder than he'd expected. The wards had been ingrained into his psyche. Telepaths _never_ took their wards down.

            But he couldn't think of any other choice.

            Just as he'd done when he'd demonstrated his magic to her, Bernard _Reached_ for Ebony's mind. But this time, he didn't just seek out her thoughts. He took the fading light that was Ebony's consciousness into his own, and clung to it with his own.

            At first, her mind tried to drift away, but he hung on to her fiercely, determined not to let her go. He would not lose her. Not here. Not now. Not to this. And then something in her, perhaps that part of her that was drawn to him, responded, trying to grasp at the steady focus his consciousness provided.

            But it wasn't enough. Bernard could still feel her essence slipping away, dissolving into the Time from which she'd been born. He was holding her, buying her time, but it wouldn't last. Another sob shuddered from his body. He'd given her everything he had, and it still wasn't enough.

            No – not everything.

            Maybe he was going it about this the wrong way. Holding her, clinging to her wasn't working. He wasn't close enough. But there was one more thing he could try.

            He wasn't sure he could do it. It had never been done before. He didn't even know if it was possible, or if either of them would survive it.

            But what the hell. They were probably going to die anyway.

Bernard _Reached _for Ebony again – but this time, instead of trying to touch and hold her essence, he sought to do something completely different. He sought to merge it with his own.

            It felt like falling – tumbling – plummeting into a long, dark tunnel that led straight down, with no knowledge of when he would hit bottom, or what he'd find there when he did.

            And then Ebony was there.

            Not "there" with him in the physical sense, in which he was used to thinking, but there nonetheless. She surrounded him, but he held her within himself. He saw the world through her eyes, as well as his. All her thoughts, feelings, memories, wishes, fears, and dreams, everything was there, all inside him – overwhelming him – 

            _ – She was young, very young – a child. She was listening to people talk about her. Her parents? No, she'd been given to an orphanage to be put up for adoption. These were foster parents? Yes, that sounded right. But the way they were talking – didn't they want her? They didn't. They were sending her back. She was unwanted – unloved – no one cared about her, not these people, not her real parents, not anyone._

_How could anyone not want her? He would. He'd want her no matter where or when she was. He would always want her, he had to make her see – _

_             – She was older, but still younger than when they'd met. She'd been crying. She'd thought she'd found people who would take her in – an older couple, who'd lost a daughter her age eight years ago – but they'd died. She'd liked them. Everyone she'd cared about died. It was her fault. It had to be._

_            He wanted to tell her that it wasn't, but she couldn't hear him, no matter how hard he tried to reach her – _

            _ – It was the first time she saw him. He looked so ridiculous through her eyes, in his strange shirt and long hair – why had she agreed to go anywhere with him? She was snapping at him, annoyed that she'd promised her friend she'd go on this date, and dragging him off before he could explain that he wasn't her friend's cousin. Was she really so angry all the time? Or was it just around him?_

_             – And then it was later, when he told her about her heritage. She didn't believe him. She wasn't that special. Who did he think he was, telling her that she was the daughter of a myth? She was a nobody, the unwanted bastard of a nameless mother and an absentee father. He – _

_            He'd read her mind! How cool was that? Oh… he was mad at her. Well, she hadn't been very nice to him, had she?_

_            He didn't mind, anymore. He wished she'd be rude to him again. That would mean that she was herself, whole and entire. He wanted her to know how much he longed for her, but he couldn't seem to make her hear – _

             –  And he surfaced from her memories, yanking himself away. That wasn't what he was here for. He took a breath, and then another, holding himself steady to reality. He had to be firmly grounded there, before he could hope to anchor Ebony.

            A light sensation drew his attention to his physical body for a moment. Something was coiling gently around his body. He spared a glance only long enough to determine that it was nothing dangerous, then turned his full attention back to Ebony. It was only the mists of Destiny, weaving around the pair of them. It couldn't be as important as Ebony.

            She was confused. She'd thought she was dying, and had resigned herself to going quietly. She'd left Bernard – and then he was there again. Was he dying, too? The thought made her sad. She wished he would live. She could have died more easily, knowing that he'd be safe.

            _:: No, Ebony, ::_ Bernard thought at her, praying that she'd be able to hear him. _:: You won't die. Not now. You're safe. ::_

_            :: Bernard?::_ Her answering thought was incredulous, hesitantly reaching from mind to mind. _:: You – how? What happened? ::_

            _:: It doesn't matter, :: _he told her. _:: Just come back. ::_

_            :: I don't know how. ::_

_            :: Follow me. I'll help you. ::_

            Bernard gently guided both their psyches back into their respective bodies, but he didn't try to disentangle their souls. He wasn't sure he could.

            "Bernard?" Ebony opened her eyes, looking hazily up at him. "You were inside my head."

            "Er… yes. I'll explain later," Bernard promised. "How do you feel?"

            "Well, I don't think I'm about to die anymore, if that's what you mean. But," Ebony grimaced, "I hope you don't want me to run any marathons, because I'm definitely not up to anything that difficult. Like motion."

            "That's ok," Bernard said, smiling down at her. "As long as you're alive."

            "Alive, yes," Ebony said. "And still trapped in this cage."

            "Cage?" Damn. He'd been so worried about Ebony that he'd forgotten about the cage. "Well, I'm sure someone will come after me eventually." A thought struck him, and he pulled out the hourglass he had around his neck.

            "What's that?" Ebony asked, squinting up at it.

            "It tells me how long I can stay here." Bernard winced. The reading wasn't good.

            "You don't have much longer, do you?" Ebony asked, not very hopefully.

            "Ten minutes," Bernard admitted reluctantly. "Probably less."

            Ebony sighed. "Well, it was a good try. Thanks for whatever you did to bring me back."

            "I'd do anything for you." Bernard couldn't believe he'd just said something so maudlin, but it was true. Anything she needed from him, he'd give her.

            "Yeah?" She smiled a little.

            He smiled back. "Yeah." He took a deep breath. "Look, Ebony, there's something I need to tell you."

            She blinked. "What, now? Not exactly the time."

            "This is the only chance I'll get," Bernard said. "When I thought you were – well, right before I pulled you back, I realized something." He swallowed hard, as she stared at him with a frown. "Ebony… I love you."

            Her eyes widened. "You – what?" She laughed, unshed tears in her voice. "You know, I'd given up on ever hearing you say that." Her expression softened as she gazed into his eyes. "I love you, Bernard. It's stupid and sappy and melodramatic to say it at a time like this, but I probably won't get another chance. I love you and I want to be with you forever." She smiled ironically. "Guess I'll get to do that part, anyway."

            Bernard didn't bother to answer. He kissed her instead.

            She tilted her head up to meet his, responding to him with a passion driven by hopelessness. It was a kiss few people ever get to experience – a true love, end of the world kiss, the kind that usually happens only in the movies. It was wild, and desperate, and frightening in its intensity. They clung to one another, their touches as much seeking comfort as acting on desire.

            Ebony pulled back suddenly, startling Bernard. He started to turn red, wondering if he'd done something wrong. But she smiled, if shakily. "Don't worry – you weren't that bad. And if I didn't like it, I'd bite you instead of kissing you."

            His blush got worse. "How – "

            "Your expression," Ebony told him, smiling wryly. "Dead giveaway." She shook her head. "Look, don't waste time talking. Help me get my clothes off."

            Bernard choked. "Excuse me?"

            She gave him an impatient look. "We don't have much time before we fade into this mist and die, right? And you can't say you don't want me, after kissing me like that. I'm feeling a lot better than before you got here, but I think you're going to have to help me with – "

            "Wait!" Bernard stared at her, scandalized. "Are you saying that – that you want to – "

            "Sleep with you before I die?" Ebony finished. "Yes. That is exactly what I'm saying. I've waited twenty years to find my one true love, and now that I've got you I'll be damned if I'm going to fade back into nothingness without doing a lot more than kissing." Her expression turned serious, a contrast to her flippant tone. "I love you, Bernard. And I want you. If you willing, I'm ready to take this all the way."

            "I – " Bernard shook his head helplessly. "I love you, Ebony, but – I don't know what to do."

            She smiled. "That's ok. Neither do I." She reached up to caress his face. "We'll find out together."

            She guided his hands onto her body, both of them trembling a little as he began to unbutton her shirt. He accidentally snapped one of the buttons off, in his nervousness, and their sudden smiles released some of the tension. It wasn't like the shirt mattered anymore, anyway. He finally got it off her, and discarded it. Tendrils of the mist curled around it, and absorbed it into fog.

            Ebony looked up at Bernard. He was trying very hard not to stare at her bra. "You're going to have to look at it, eventually," she told him, amused.

            Bernard met her eyes, and she realized that he was scared. Not just of dying, but of what they were doing. Well, that was all right. So was she, a little.

            Ebony took one of his hands, and placed it gently on her breast. When he was still unsure, she drew him into another kiss. As she encouraged him wordlessly, with her lips and tongue, she felt his hands loosen, and start to explore her body. It was strange, to be touched so intimately, but she didn't want him to stop. Definitely not. Strange was good.

            She tugged at his shirt, trying to get it off over his head, while he fumbled with the unfamiliar fastenings on her bra. He moved his head, trying to get a good look at her back so he could see what he was doing, so she moved her lips onto his ear. She'd always thought his pointy ears were kind of sexy, anyway. But for some reason, this seemed to distract him almost as much as the kissing had. Still, he eventually managed to get one of the straps off her shoulder, and – 

            "Holy shit! What are you two doing?"

            Bernard and Ebony jerked away from one another, as if they'd been burned. "Cupid!" Bernard gasped, recognizing the speaker. "Oh – we were – "

            "No, never mind, I can see what you were doing," Cupid cut him off quickly. "Though I have to say, this isn't really the best place for it. Look, you two have to get out of here."

            "We can't," Ebony said, pulling her bra back into place. "There's a wall."

            "What?" Cupid peered into the mists. "Oh. Damn. So there is. That's a problem."

            "How did you get here?" Bernard demanded, trying to pretend that he wasn't straightening his shirt.

            "I tracked the pair of you," Cupid said. "I don't know what you were doing before you started – that other thing you were doing – but whatever it was, it turned all my magic inside out. And I'm supposed to be present for any great act of love, so I figured I'd come along."

            "Kinda voyeuristic," Ebony said, sounding none too pleased.

            "The act of love was me saving you," Bernard told her impatiently. "Not the – the other thing."

            "Yes, well, anyway," Cupid said hurriedly, "we need to get out of here. Something's gone wrong back at Father Time's workshop."

            Bernard shot Cupid a suspicious glance. "You aren't another figment of Destiny, are you?"

            "What are you talking – never mind, I probably don't want to know," Cupid said. "Look, maybe you could smash up this barrier. She's one of the children of Time, right? Destiny ought to obey her."

            "Yes," Bernard said slowly, thinking back to his encounter with Lady Destiny. "Yes, it ought to. Maybe – "

            "Um, can I just make a point?" Ebony interrupted. "That barrier shocks me whenever I try to touch it."

            "Yes, but if you were outside it…" Cupid trailed off. "Which you aren't."

            "So much for that," Bernard said.

            Cupid started to say something, then stopped, frowning. "Say – do you two know that you're getting all foggy?"

            Bernard looked at Ebony, then down at himself. She was still fading into the mists, but now he was doing the same thing. "Damn," he said softly.

            "It was a good try," Ebony said, patting his arm. "Really. There was even a point for about five seconds when I really thought we had a chance." She looked over at Cupid. "Get lost, would you? We have a romantic moment to finish, and I don't think we've got that much time left."

            "Um." Bernard went pale, looking off into the distance. "I think we may have less time than we thought."

            "What do you mean?" Ebony followed his gaze. "Oh. Oh, that is not good."

            "What are you two looking at?" Cupid turned around, and a look of horror came across his face. "Time Flies – coming this way!"

Author's Note – Sorry the chapter wasn't longer. It had some difficult scenes that I wanted to get through. Especially that one with Ebony and Bernard. That was hard and a half. ^_^ Anyway, next chapter… well, the cliffhanger will be resolved, for one thing. Also, we'll find out just what's been going on while Bernard was in Destiny.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed!

Kitty the drunken butterfly, ShadowGraffiti, TheAlmightyMasterT-Chan, Tragedy Ann, Black Wolf Meleny.

Zhai'helleva!

 - Mystica


	10. Fall On Your Knees

Time Flies

Author's Note – Well. That was a long break between chapters. I did mean to have this done by Christmas, but… well, the length should tell you why it wasn't. This was kind of a transitional chapter. A lot had to happen.

Disclaimer: Any and all Santa Claus characters belong to Disney. The original characters, however, are mine.

**Chapter 10 – Fall On Your Knees**

            The Time Flies fit into the landscape of Destiny perfectly. They were grey, and the mists were silver – the Flies might have been created with Destiny in mind. It was not a reassuring observation.

            Not that much would be, in the circumstances.

            "You're having problems with Time Flies?" Cupid's panic wasn't helping, either. "I thought those things were supposed to be gone. Father Time swore they were gone. But they aren't gone, and they're here, and – " A realization hit Cupid. "And this is the problem that Father Time was having at his workshop. Oh, this is not good."

            "Talk about the understatement of the century," Ebony snapped. "What will those things do when they get hold of us?"

            "They'll absorb your magic," Bernard told her. "I don't know what they'll do to Cupid. Or to me."

            That worried her. Bernard was guiltily pleased that Ebony would be upset for his sake. It made him feel justified in his frantic search for her – as though he had the right to worry about her in return.

            "Could they kill us? They don't look as dangerous as everyone seems to think." Cupid looked hopefully at the advancing Flies. "They're kinda scrawny, aren't they? Smaller than me, and that's saying something."

            "I don't know," Bernard said impatiently. "I don't think they can kill, or they'd've done it already. But they attacked me earlier."

            "And me," Ebony added. She glared at the Flies. "Bloody pixies."

            "But you're in a cage. They put you there for a reason," Cupid pointed out.

            "They can wait for us to die. Destiny…" Bernard hesitated.

            "Yeah, I can see what it's doing to you." Cupid grimaced. "You know, I just don't think the whole 'mist' look is _me_. Mind if I don't hang around much longer?"

            Bernard and Ebony glanced at one another. Their thoughts were clear. Intellectually, they knew that Cupid couldn't help them out of this, and that his staying would only put him in the same danger they faced – but emotionally, they didn't want to be left alone.

            "Tell Father Time what happened," Bernard said at last. "Better go quick, before they block you."

            Cupid nodded, and dove away.

            The Time Flies blocked him.

            "Or I could stick around for a while." Cupid gulped.

            The Time Flies were close enough now that he could see their faces – twisted by hate, marred by bitterness, consumed with anger at the whole world. What were they planning? A horrible thought struck him – what if Ebony had faded enough already that they could draw out her essence? What if they were here to destroy her? Bernard drew Ebony closer to him. He'd die before he let them have her.

            Cupid pulled out his bow and fitted an arrow to it.

            "I thought your arrows wouldn't work on magical beings," Bernard said, frowning.

            "The magic won't," Cupid agreed. He smiled savagely. "But the arrows will." He took aim at the closest of the Time Flies. "Just let 'em get in range."

            It didn't take long. The Flies were coming faster and faster as they got closer, as though they could sense that their prey had no escape left. As soon as they were in range of the arrows, Cupid fired.

            Half the ranks of the Flies exploded. The rest of the Time Flies scattered, screaming in eerily human voices.

            Cupid stared at his bow in shock. "Did I know I could do that?"

            "Oh, you didn't, silly! I did!"

            "Good Lord…" Bernard gaped at the figure hurrying through the mists. "Bianca?"

            "Of course!" Bianca smiled brightly, a glaring contrast to the serious situation. "Daddy was getting awfully worried cause you hadn't come back, and then Cupid went after you – hi, Cupid! – and _he_ didn't come back, and then Daddy realized there was going to be an attack at the Workshop, and he said I'd better go see if I couldn't fetch you out before he couldn't protect you anymore."

            "But – that – " Bernard gestured helplessly at the Flies.

            "Oh, _that_?" Bianca giggled. "I got that from Santa. He said it was an improved version of the Christmas party popper or something, and he would've given you one, but you ran off too quickly. It worked awfully well, didn't it?" Bianca frowned prettily. "I don't think it was supposed to work _that_ well, though. I think something funny happened to it when it hit this foggy stuff. The fog covered it all over, and when the fog went away the popper looked all different. But I thought it still looked ok to use, and I guess it was."

            "I guess," Bernard agreed numbly. He'd _seen_ the version of poppers that Quentin had been working on. They couldn't blow up a cardboard box, let alone half a horde of Time Flies. He suddenly remembered that woman, Lady Destiny. Had she – 

            "So can you get us out of here?" Ebony interrupted Bernard's train of thought.

            "Sure! The exit's right that way – " Bianca stopped. "Oh. You're all locked up and stuff, aren't you? That's no good." She looked at Cupid. "How do I get them out?"

            Cupid blinked. "Why would I know that, sweetheart?"

            Bianca shrugged. "Well, I don't know, so someone else has to. Bernard? How do I get you out?"

            Bernard shook his head helplessly. "I don't know – make the barrier go away somehow, I guess."

            "Why don't you sing that Cinderella song at it?" Ebony suggested acidly. "Bibbidi bobbidi boo – and it's gone!"

            "Oh, you think that would work?" Bianca gave the barrier an intense stare. "Bibbidi bobbidi boo – go away!" She snapped her fingers at the barrier.

            It disappeared.

            "Oh, yay!" Bianca was delighted. "That was a great idea, Ebony! You're awfully smart, aren't you?"

            Ebony was astonished. "I can't believe that worked. Am I imagining things?"

            Bernard shook his head. "Does it matter? We've got to get you out of here." He managed to stand on his own, but Ebony couldn't make it. Whatever strength she'd regained when he saved her, it wasn't enough. Bernard leaned down to lift her, but he couldn't even get her off the ground. Destiny was draining him, through her.

            "Let me help." Cupid swooped down and scooped Ebony up. Bernard blinked. He hadn't thought Cupid large enough to lift Ebony at all, let alone so easily. He pushed aside his feelings of jealousy – _he_ should be the one to carry her – and struggled forward.

            "How far is the door?" Bernard asked. "I was pretty far from it when I was attacked."

            "Really? You must've gone the wrong way or something. It's just over this way." Bianca pointed. Sure enough, there was the door, hovering in the middle of the mist.

            Bernard stared. "But it was further away – I know it was!"

            "Maybe you knew wrong," Bianca suggested. "Let's hurry, ok? I don't want my hair to get all bleached like hers."

            She led them through the door into the hexagonal room through which Bernard had originally entered Destiny. However, it looked much different this time.

            For one thing, it contained a group of about ten bound and gagged Time Flies.

            "Oh, you stopped them!" Bianca clapped her hands happily. "That's so good! I was awfully scared we'd get back and then we'd have to go straight back out and rescue you."

            "Fortunately, that won't be necessary," Father Time said with a smile – a smile that faded as he caught sight of Ebony and Bernard. "Oh, no – they were in Destiny too long, weren't they?"

            "What do you mean?" Scott looked from Father Time to Bernard and Ebony, worry etched across his face. "They're out now – that's good, right?"

            "I hope so." Father Time waved a hand at the door to the Present. The entryway slid open. "Take them through there – it leads to Atlantis. Mother Nature will be able to help."

            Bernard glanced at Ebony, then down at himself. Mist was entwined in their hair, and he was sure his eyes were the same shifting silver that Ebony's were. And then he thought about what he'd had to do to save Ebony – how he'd had to connect their souls. Thinking back on it, he was increasingly worried that it seemed to have been successful. Magic that strange, in as unpredictable a dimension as Destiny, should not have worked. Not unless it was – Bernard hesitated to think it – Destined.

            He wasn't sure Mother Nature would be able to help them. He wasn't at all sure they could still be helped.

            Mother Nature frowned down at the two sleeping figures of Ebony and Bernard. "I just wish we knew what those kids _did_ in that Destiny place of yours," she said to her brother.

            "What do you mean?" Father Time asked warily. "They did something? Something bad?"

            "I can't tell," Mother Nature said, frustrated. "It might be. Or then again it might not be. All I can say for sure is that these two are bound."

            "Bound? What do you mean, 'bound?'" Scott asked. "That sounds pretty bad to me."

            "Oh, not necessarily," Cupid hastened to reassure him. "It's actually pretty common. You and Mrs. Claus are bound."

            "Not that kind of bond," Mother Nature said ominously. "This is something else. My guess is that he had to do something pretty spectacular to save her life. Probably something he had no business doing."

            "Something that involved taking her shirt off?" Scott asked.

            "I think that came later," Cupid said, trying to be tactful. After all, the girl's father was standing right there. "The whole reason I showed up at all was that there had been a great act of love performed, and let me tell you, that does not happen every day. It takes a lot to qualify for 'act of love' status."

            "Like Sonny and Cher?" Scott joked, trying to lighten the mood.

            "Like Romeo and Juliet," Cupid said flatly. "There's gotta be a sacrifice involved – a serious one. Your elf put his life on the line for that girl with whatever he did, and he knew it. And he did it anyway."

            "She matters that much to him?" Mother Nature asked.

            Cupid nodded wordlessly.

            "So what does this mean for them? Will they be ok?" Scott asked, breaking the weighty silence.

            "It depends on how you define 'ok,'" Mother Nature said. "Will they survive? Yes. Will they be the same as they were before?" She shrugged. "Who knows?"

            "I'm betting not," Cupid said. "Acts of love tend to alter the people involved."

            "And I think there may be other complications." Father Time bent closer to the pair, as if studying something he hadn't noticed before. "The threads of Destiny…"

            "I know, I know, they're weaving, right?" Scott said impatiently. "You mentioned."

            "No, this is something else," Father Time said, brows knitted. "Whatever they did, it happened in Destiny. A place where reality itself is unstable. I think that perhaps there is more to what happened here than simply an act of love. Perhaps… perhaps her threads are longer than even I knew."

            Scott and Cupid exchanged glances. "So is today Cryptic Day or something?" Scott asked. "Mind explaining?"

            "There are powerful forces at work here," Father Time said slowly.

            "Yes. That would be us," Scott said.

            "No – not us. Other forces." Father Time looked at Mother Nature. "Do you remember them?"

            Mother Nature seemed to be struck by lightning as the realization hit her. Literally. Sparks shimmered down her arms to crackle at her fingertips. "The Powers That Be… I always thought they were a myth, created for those of us who live in mythical lands."

            "Hold it – the powers that what?" Scott looked from Mother Nature to Father Time, getting an increasingly bad feeling.

            "The Powers That Be," Father Time said again. "The ones who live – no, I suppose they can't really _live_ – who exist outside of reality. Not just in a separate dimension. I don't quite know how to describe it, except to say that they are not like us. Not bound by the laws that confine us. They are immortal, unchangeable, incomprehensible."

            "So… like us," Scott repeated.

            "No." Father Time glared, realizing Scott was joking with him. "This is no time for jolliness. If the Powers are showing themselves, then something serious must be happening. Something that surrounds these two. You might at least try to be concerned – this is your elf, after all."

            "Don't scold him," Mother Nature told her brother. "He's only acting as he must. Have you ever known a Santa who didn't react to stress by joking?"

            Father Time shook his head. "That isn't the issue," he said, deflecting the question. "The issue is that these two – "

            Bernard stirred. All conversation stopped at once. Bernard opened one eye – then saw everyone crowding around him, and snapped awake.

            "What happened? Why are you – where's Ebony?" The elf looked around frantically, until he realized the girl was in the bed directly beside his. "Thank God."

            "She's alive," Mother Nature said. "Whatever you did, it saved her life."

            "Good." Bernard breathed a sigh of relief. "Good."

            "What exactly _did_ you do in there, anyway?" Scott asked, voicing the question everyone wanted to ask.

            Bernard looked away, not meeting anyone's eyes. "I just… called her back," he said evasively. "That's all."

            It was clear he wasn't talking. Mother Nature shook her head. "Well, it worked like a charm," she said. "You should try calling back some of my rainforests."

            It took Bernard a few seconds to realize this was a joke. Belatedly, he smiled. A real smile. Scott grinned to see it. His Head Elf was back.

            "So… what exactly happened when we got out of Destiny?" Bernard asked. "I remember going through that door… and then… then…"

            "Then you blacked out," Mother Nature told him. "Destiny was hard on you. Worse on Ebony. You're in Atlantis, now, and in Atlantis you shall stay until I pronounce you fully healed."

            "But – Christmas – "

            "Will go on without you," Scott filled in. "We're managing. It's nowhere near as smooth as usual, and I think Curtis has developed a caffeine addiction trying to cope, but we're dealing. We can keep it up till you're better." He looked at Mother Nature. "When will he be better?"

            "That depends." Mother Nature gave the elf a critical glance. "Normally I'd say only a day or two, with the healing powers of Atlantis working on you, but since you seem to have tied yourself to Ebony somehow, you'll probably have to wait until she's healed, as well."

            "Is she hurt that badly?" Bernard turned paler than he already was.

            "Not hurt, exactly," Mother Nature said. "But Destiny drained something from her – energy, essence, call it what you will – and she needs time to rebuild it. That could take a day, or a week, or a month."

            "It'll take five days, seven hours, and thirteen minutes," Father Time spoke up. 

            Mother Nature glared at him. "Whose realm is this? Yours? I don't think so."

            "Sorry," Father Time said unrepentantly.

            "Five days?" Bernard looked down at Ebony for a moment. Then he nodded. "I can deal with that."

~*~ Five Days Later ~*~

            "I can't wait for Bernard to get back." Curtis slumped into a chair beside Judy.

            "Well, he'll be here any minute now," Judy said. She sighed. "I don't know how he does everything. We've barely been managing splitting it between us. I'm just glad he won't be gone longer."

            "Join the club." Scott stood in the doorway with Carol beside him. "Want to come with us to the main room? That's where they're coming."

            "Sure, we – they?" Curtis stopped, puzzled.

            "Yes, they," Scott said. "Bernard and Ebony? The people we've all been waiting for the past five days?"

            "Why's that Ebony girl coming?" Curtis asked. "Isn't she Father Time's daughter? She ought to stay with him."

            "She wants to see the North Pole," Scott said, but there was a tone to his voice that said he wasn't telling everything. "I think she'll like it here."

            "So what? Everyone likes it here," Curtis said blankly. He shook his head. "Well, Bernard's coming back. That's the main thing. And he'll be ok now, right?" Sudden worry struck Curtis. "Right?"

            "Of course," Scott reassured the elf. "He and Ebony are both fine. That's why Mother Nature kept them so long – to make sure."

            With that, Scott hurried out with Carol, expecting Curtis and Judy to follow him. The two elves exchanged worried glances.

            "He isn't telling us everything," Judy said, frowning pensively. "That isn't like Santa."

            "You don't think he was lying, do you?" Curtis asked, as they headed to the main room. "I mean – you saw what Bernard was like last time he came back. What if he's like that again?"

            Judy shook her head firmly. "Santa would have told us," she said reasonably. "I know he wouldn't lie. Not to us." She thought for a moment. "I don't think it's something bad he's concealing, though. It's dreadfully important, but not bad."

            At that point, they reached the main room, and the conversation ended. Judy and Curtis stared around in amazement.

            "This has to be every elf in the Workshop," Judy whispered, awed. The room was packed with elves, shoulder to shoulder, as many as the space could hold. Even the upper levels held elves leaning over the railing, to get a better look.

            "It can't be," Curtis objected. "There are too many of them." He seemed to be doing quick calculations in his head. "This many elves… it would have to be…"

            "Half of Elfheim," Kioshi finished, squeezing through the crowds to get to Curtis and Judy. "Give or take a few elves. There are even more waiting outside the Workshop."

            "They care that much?" Judy smiled. "Bernard will be happy. I don't think he realizes how important he is to the North Pole."

            "Are you crazy?" Curtis stared at her like he was certain the answer was yes. "He's our leader. Everyone knows that."

            "Everyone but Bernard," Kioshi said. "As far as he knows, he's just the Head Elf, second in command to Santa. But he's more than that, now. He has been for centuries. We can deal with the loss of a Santa – another one comes in just one year. But we'd be lost without Bernard."

            "But we'll never have to be without him, right?" Curtis said. "It's not like he's going anywhere."

            "Not anymore," Judy said soberly. "But I think he might have."

            "Where would he go?" Curtis scoffed. "Back Underhill?"

            "Nowhere so definite." Kioshi's eyes were dark and unreadable. "If he had left, it would have been to where we may not follow."

            Curtis looked from Judy to Kioshi. "You two are talking in code, aren't you?" he accused.

            Judy smiled. "Don't worry about it, Curtis," she said gently. "We – " She stopped, as a hush fell over the elves. "They're coming!" She grabbed Curtis's hand in her excitement. "They're coming back!"

            In the lone empty space in the center of the room, in a shower of golden dust, Bernard appeared, accompanied by a girl the elves didn't recognize. She had to be Ebony Hiems. Ebony stared at the gathered crowds, clearly not having expected quite this many people. She turned to Bernard.

            "Popular, aren't you?"

            Bernard didn't answer, turning slowly in a full circle to see all the elves who had come to meet him. "Um… hi?" He waved hesitantly.

            "Bernard!" Judy ran towards him, unable to restrain herself any longer. Curtis and Kioshi weren't far behind. Judy flung her arms around Bernard, hugging him tightly. "We missed you so much!"

            "Hiya, Judy!" Bernard hugged her back, though he was still more than a little confused. He lowered his voice. "What's with the gathering?"

            "Everyone wanted to see you," Judy told him, grinning. "To make sure you're really you."

            Bernard frowned. "Wasn't I always?"

            Judy just sighed contentedly as she released him. "It's good to have you back, Bernard."

            "What she said," Curtis agreed. He held out a hand formally.

            Bernard blinked. "You've got to be kidding." He gave in and shook Curtis's hand. "I've mentioned that you're really weird, right?"

            Curtis just shrugged as he stepped back, letting Kioshi take his place. "Hi," Kioshi said.

            "Hi," Bernard replied. Then he did a double take. "Kioshi – you're grinning! You never grin."

            Kioshi laughed. "I'm that glad to see you here again," he said. "Don't expect it too often." He glanced around at the elves. "You might want to say something to that lot, before they go mad with curiosity."

            Bernard looked around at the elves again. He hadn't realized that this many of them would come to see him. Had it been that much of a problem that he'd left the North Pole? And if it had been, what exactly were they expecting of him?

            "Hi, everyone," Bernard said finally, pitching his voice to carry to all the elves in hearing distance. "I'm – well, I know I've been away for a while, but I'm back now. And it's really good to see everyone again." He grinned. "I missed the North Pole a lot. All of you, too."

            At that, the elves cut him off with a cheer. It was all but deafening, echoing around the room. Bernard turned red, but beneath the embarrassment he looked pleased. As the applause and cheers died away, he motioned Ebony forward.

            "Everyone, I'd like you to meet someone," Bernard said, as Ebony came up to stand beside him, looking more than a little overwhelmed by the crowds staring at her. "This is Ebony Hiems, daughter of Father Time. Ebony," Bernard smiled at her, "meet the Christmas elves of the North Pole."

            Ebony craned her neck to see everyone who had gathered. She waved cautiously. "Hi. Um… nice to meet you." She looked around again. "All of you."

            The elves stared at Ebony as much as she was staring at them, clearly unsure how to react to this girl. On one hand, it was pretty much common knowledge that she was the main reason their Head Elf had been gone for so long, and for the major depression he'd fallen into. But on the other hand, there was the way he'd smiled at her… Slowly, but with growing enthusiasm, the elves began applauding the new arrival. Ebony shifted awkwardly from foot to foot, not dealing with the applause as well as Bernard had. She looked relieved when it was over.

            "Right," Bernard said. He frowned. "I think that pretty much covers it. So don't you all have work to do? Christmas isn't going to wait!"

            With a burst of laughter, the elves scattered, until the only ones remaining were Bernard, Ebony, Scott, Carol, Judy, Curtis, and Kioshi. 

            "It's good to have you back, Bernard," Scott said, grinning widely.

            "It's good to be back, Santa," Bernard replied.

            Ebony looked Scott up and down. "So you're Santa Claus?" she asked.

            "Sure am," Scott said cheerfully. "Originally Scott Calvin. Charlie's dad. And this," he pointed to Carol, "is my wife, Mrs. Claus. Carol Calvin."

            "Call me Carol." Carol smiled. "It's nice to meet you at last, Ebony. We've heard a lot about you."

            "Oh, yeah?" Ebony blinked. "When?"

            "When Bernard first met you," Carol said. Her smile became a smirk. "He had quite a few things to say about you then."

            "Shouldn't we be getting back to work, now?" Bernard asked loudly, before that conversation could continue. "Christmas, remember? That busy time of year that rolls around every winter?"

            "Yes, you lot should go work," Carol agreed. "I'm sure you have more than enough to keep you busy. Ebony, you can come with me."

            Ebony drew back towards Bernard. "Come where?" she asked suspiciously.

            "To see if we can find you a room, of course," Carol said, grinning. "I assume you're staying here?"

            "Well – " Ebony glanced at Bernard, then back at Carol. "Am I invited?"

            "Of course!" Carol told her. "For as long as you like."

            Ebony started to smile back. "Could be a while," she warned.

            "I doubt anyone will object." Carol looked from Ebony to Bernard. "Come on, then. Let's leave these workaholics to it."

            As they headed for the residential areas, Carol casually took a good look at Ebony. So this was the girl Bernard loved? Carol could see why. Ebony moved easily, confidently, and her eyes held the promise of a quick mind and a sharp wit. Other girls might be prettier, or more charming, but Ebony had something all her own. She and Bernard would make a good match of it.

            "It's beautiful here."

            "Hmm?" Carol blinked, startled out of her reverie as Ebony spoke.

            "This place – the North Pole." Ebony looked around at the busy, colorful scene. "Its like a fairyland, or something." She shook her head, smiling. "You know, if I'd known that something like this existed, I'd've believed in Christmas a whole lot longer."

            "Christmas?" Carol raised an eyebrow at the choice of wording. "Not Santa?"

            Ebony shrugged. "It never seemed real to me," she said. "The season. It's partly the commercialism – the stores and so on. But…"

            "But it's also the way people act," Carol filled in when Ebony paused. "I know. I felt that way, too, before I met Scott. You love Christmas when you're a child, but as you get older, your illusions shatter."

            Ebony smiled sadly. "I never loved Christmas."

            "What?" That stopped Carol dead in her tracks. "Never?"

            "Nope," Ebony said. "Never knew I should. I wasn't raised with it, you know. The orphanage was run by the state, and they weren't allowed to celebrate any holidays with religious meaning. That pretty much meant all of them. Then, after I heard about it from other kids, and from my foster parents… well, I thought it was stupid."

            "You thought Christmas was stupid? Why?"

            "A fat guy in a red suit flies around with free presents for everyone?" Ebony shook her head. "Didn't sound too likely to me. All I saw were the same people, acting the same way that they did every other day of the year. Mean, self-centered, hypocritical, you name it. Besides," she sighed, "I always figured that if Santa existed, and he could lug around toys for every kid in the world, he could dig up a couple parents for one girl. I mean, I needed a family a lot more than some rich kid needed video games or soccer balls. Since Santa never bothered with my Christmas wish, I decided he wasn't real."

            Carol, horrified and saddened by this story, impulsively pulled Ebony into a hug. The younger girl stiffened, but the magic that came with the office of Mrs. Claus was such that she soon relaxed enough to hug back. After a long moment, Carol released Ebony, blinking back tears. She got the feeling that this girl wouldn't react well to pity.

            "You have a family here, Ebony," Carol said, taking both the girl's hands in her own. "I know Bernard and Scott will agree with me on this. You will always, always be welcome wherever we are."

            Ebony blinked, stunned. "Wow," she said finally. "You people really are nice, aren't you?" She shook her head. "First a father, then brothers and sisters, then this. Looks like Santa was delivering with interest."

            "Well." Carol shook her head, bringing herself back to the task at hand. They had reached the residential area. "Anyway, here we are. What kind of a room would you like?"

            Ebony shrugged. "Doesn't matter."

            "Nonsense," Carol said firmly. "If you won't tell me, I'll just have to guess." She studied Ebony thoughtfully. "High up, I'd say, with windows. Bold colors, nothing pastel. You're fond of green, aren't you? I'd heard your hair was green."

            "The dye came out," Ebony said defensively, fingering a strand of her pale brown hair. "It looked better green. Much more interesting."

            "Very interesting, I'm sure," Carol agreed dryly. "So green as one of the colors. And some shade of red? This is the North Pole, so you might as well embrace it as escape it. Not Scott's cherry red, though. Something deeper. Hmm." She frowned, considering. "As for furniture… something comfortable. Soft, relaxing, but also welcoming. And decorations… hmm."

            Carol slowly circled Ebony. The girl turned her head, trying to follow the woman's movements. "Look, don't bother too much, ok?" she said uncomfortably. "I can just stay in a guest room or something."

            Carol smiled. "We don't have guest rooms. Really, this is fun for me. We almost never have visitors."

            "Really?" Ebony blinked. "Yeah, I guess you wouldn't. Secret workshop, and all."

            "Exactly," Carol agreed. "Now, then. I think I've got your measure. Let's pick a room, shall we?" She led the way down the hall, and up one flight of stairs, until they reached a room. Instead of opening the door, Carol laid her hand beside the doorknob, concentrating briefly. Just visible under the doorframe, silver glitter sparkled in the room.

            "What was that?" Ebony asked suspiciously.

            "I was just… attuning the room to you," Carol said innocently. "Now it will only unlock for you, or for anyone you allow. Touch the doorframe, beside the knob, to unlock the door. To allow someone unlocking privileges, have them touch the doorframe, then put your hand over theirs." She stepped back, and gestured for Ebony to try it. "Go ahead, look inside."

            Warily, Ebony touched the wall as Carol had instructed. Nothing happened. Frowning, she tried the doorknob. It moved easily under her hand. She opened the door – and gasped.

            The room was beautiful, with everything just as Carol had described it. The walls were a soft gold, with emerald green drapes along the ceiling. The carpet was the same shade of green, soft and thick enough to encourage bare feet. A deep burgundy sofa sat opposite two cream-colored armchairs, with a dark wood coffee table centered among the three. The left wall held towering bookcases, empty and waiting to be filled, and the right wall led to a bedroom. Curious, Ebony peered inside. There was a four-poster bed, hung with translucent gold and silver curtains out of a fairy tale, with a green bedspread and embroidered throw pillows in every shade of red from blood crimson to wine burgundy.

            Turning back out, preparing to thank Carol, the far wall caught her eye. This wall was almost entirely a giant window, with a cushioned seat in front of it. Ebony couldn't resist going to see what lay outside. Her eyes widened. These rooms didn't face the workshops. On the ground, several stories below, was the elfin city, delicate buildings spiraling out of crystalline snow. It was lovely.

            A little too lovely, in Ebony's opinion. She looked at Carol, her suspicion growing again. "Why are you doing this?"

            "What?" Carol raised her eyebrows.

            "This – this room. Why give me this?" Ebony wanted to know. "I'm no elf, no part of your city. I have no claim on you. And you have to know I can't pay you back. Why be so kind to me? It's not like I've done anything for you or any of your people."

            Carol hesitated, knowing she had to tread carefully here. It wasn't just the room Ebony was asking about. The question went deeper.

            "Well, most elves don't live here in the workshops," Carol said, answering the superficial question first. "Most of them have homes and families down in Elfheim, the city. We usually have far more rooms than we need. And the furnishings are magical, so you needn't worry about them. That was the magic I worked before we came into the room. The furniture was here, but that was all. I was fitting the room to what I knew about you."

            "You have good taste," Ebony said as Carol paused to think what to say next.

            "Thank you." Carol smiled briefly. "Ebony, will you answer a question for me?"

            Ebony narrowed her eyes. "Depends on the question."

            "You don't question me out of cynicism, do you?" Carol asked. "Why do you think you're so undeserving of the North Pole's generosity?"

            Ebony turned away at that, staring out the window, down at the traffic patterns in the city. Carol frowned, wondering if she might have pushed too hard, too soon. She was about to change the subject when Ebony spoke, her eyes still on the window.

            "He could have died."

            All at once, Carol realized what Ebony had to be thinking. "That's not your fault, sweetie. You didn't know – "

            "Whose fault was it, if not mine?" Ebony demanded. "I was the one stupid enough to get captured, after he told me not to follow him. I was the reason he put himself in danger. He – " Her voice caught in her throat. "He didn't tell me what happened while I was gone, what he was like, but our minds were joined in Destiny. I saw it. I did that to him. I've got to be the worst thing that every happened to him, and you're acting like I'm just some sweet little girl he met." Her head bowed. "All I've done so far is hurt him."

            "That is not true," Carol said forcefully. "Don't say that. Don't ever say that! I saw the way he looked at you when he introduced you to the elves. You say you've been in his mind? Well, did you see what he was like before you met him? Too scared to do more than glance at a girl who wanted more than friendship, throwing himself into his work to hide the fact that he was terribly lonely? He changed after meeting you, Ebony. You changed him. You aren't the worst thing that ever happened to him – you're the best. You made him the person he always should have been."

            At that, Ebony turned, her eyes searching Carol's. "But I'm the reason he nearly died."

            "Maybe, but no one blames _you_ for that," Carol said. "You were only in danger in the first place because you couldn't leave him to face that danger alone. And Destiny – well, no one knows who's responsible for anything, when Destiny is involved."

            Ebony snorted. "That's just what people say when they don't want to take responsibility for what they've done."

            "Now you're talking like a normal person," Carol said disapprovingly. "You can't do that anymore, dear. You're a child of Time, born of magic. You have to understand, these things aren't just escapes, or excuses. There are higher powers in the world. Destiny is a real force. You and Bernard were meant to meet. You were meant to go to Destiny, and he was meant to follow you. And whatever happened between the two of you there was meant most of all. You must believe that."

            "I don't see why," Ebony said. "I've been a child of Time for my whole life, and I've never believed in Destiny yet. I'm more of a free will type girl, thanks. I made the choice, so the responsibility lies with me. The blame lies with me."

            Carol sighed. "All right, let's leave Destiny out of it for the time being. You're saying that it's your fault Bernard was in danger, right?"

            "Right." Ebony perched on the window seat, drawing one knee up to her chest, tension in every line of her body.

            "Because you were the reason he went into Destiny in the first place?"

            "Right."

            "So let me see if I follow your entire line of reasoning here," Carol said. "He went into Destiny to save you. You were in Destiny because of the Time Flies. The Time Flies captured you because you went to help him against his warnings. Am I right so far?"

            "Yes," Ebony agreed. "And you aren't exactly helping your case."

            Carol gave a lop-sided smile. "Work with me for a minute, here. So the Time Flies were the ones who brought you to Destiny. You didn't want to go there, any more than you wanted to get captured. It was a case of terrible bad luck."

            "I don't believe in luck, either," Ebony said stubbornly. "Admit it – this all happened because I did something stupid. Everything was my fault."

            Carol pursed her lips, thinking. This wasn't getting her anywhere – it was the verbal equivalent of walking in circles. Maybe she should try a different approach.

            "Do you know how I came to the North Pole, Ebony?" Carol asked.

            Ebony blinked, startled by the abrupt change in subject. "No – no, I don't think so."

            "Then I'll tell you." Carol sat on the window seat beside Ebony. "I was the principal at Charlie's school. And – well, Charlie's a good kid, but he used to act up a lot. I think it might have been to get Scott's attention – but that's not the point. Last year, just before Christmas, Charlie decided to spray paint the school gym. Needless to say, I was not too happy. I called a parent conference, for Scott as well as Laura and Neil.

            "Now, Christmas is a pretty busy time for everyone up here. Scott needed to be here, but he also needed to be with Charlie. There were… other reasons for him to go to the human dimension, but it was a while before I heard about that. Anyway, Scott was really worried, because what he needed was to be in two places at once. Even with magic, that can't be done. So he, Bernard, and Curtis – "

            "Who's Curtis?" Ebony interrupted.

            "Oh, didn't we introduce you?" Carol thought back. "I guess we didn't. Well, he was the elf who shook Bernard's hand. He and Bernard do a lot of work together. Anyway, the three of them got this idea – an incredibly stupid idea, might I add – to use a machine of Curtis's to clone Scott. Basically, they made a giant toy Santa to be in charge while Scott was off with Charlie. It was all right at first, but then Curtis gave it the Handbook, with all the rules that everyone should follow but doesn't."

            "Bad move?" Ebony guessed, intrigued in spite of herself.

            "Very," Carol said. "While Scott was in New York taking care of Charlie – and falling for me – " she grinned, "the toy Santa decided to take over the North Pole, cancel Christmas, and give everyone coal. And I think he put Bernard under house arrest."

            "He _what_?" Ebony's eyes flashed angrily. "Is he still around?"

            "No," Carol said, smiling. "No, he's gone. But I'm not at that part yet. Curtis realized he'd done something pretty stupid, so he went to find Scott at the Millers' house. Scott went back to the North Pole, and Charlie and I went after him. There was a big battle – the toy Santa had created an army of giant toy soldiers – and Scott chased down the toy Santa on the sleigh. Scott became the real Santa again, and Christmas was saved – but there was a lot of danger. Curtis in particular still feels terrible about it."

            "But he – " Ebony stopped. "Oh, no. No. I will not give in to logic. I refuse!"

            "You see what I'm talking about, then?" Carol said relentlessly. "You don't blame Curtis, do you? It was his idea to make the toy Santa. He was the one who gave it the Handbook. Since he chose to do those things, isn't everything that happens because of them his fault?"

            Ebony scowled. "Yes," she said sulkily.

            Carol brushed Ebony's hair away from her face in one of the motherly gestures that came with the transformation to Mrs. Claus. "I can see you don't mean that. Ebony, please. Bernard would never want you to blame yourself for what happened to him. Ask him, if you don't believe me. He'll tell you the same. Call it Destiny, or chance, or whatever you like – things happen that are beyond our control. Just because you put this in motion, it doesn't make it all your fault. You didn't intend to do something bad – quite the opposite! You meant to do something good and wonderful – you meant to protect him."

            "But I should have known – " Ebony protested weakly.

            "Because you know now?" Carol shook her head. "Haven't you ever head _any_ of the sayings about hindsight? If we all knew what the consequences of our actions would be, the world would be a considerably different place. Maybe better, but then again maybe worse. You said you're a free will type girl? Well, if we have free will, that means that we don't get to know what will happen. If we know the future, it's preordained. If the future is already set in stone so that we can see it, we have no power to alter it. If we have no power to alter the future, then our choices have already been made for us, and we have no free will."

            "So you're saying I shouldn't take responsibility for anything I do, because chance rules the world?" Ebony asked skeptically. "That's not much better than Destiny."

            "You're deliberately misunderstanding me," Carol said, smiling slightly. "You know perfectly well what I meant. You didn't mean for anything bad to happen to Bernard. Yes, something bad happened anyway. Welcome to the world, sweetie. It happened, but it wasn't your fault."

            Ebony shook her head. "You're sure you were a principal back in America? Not, say, a lawyer?"

            Carol laughed. "Very sure. It takes some real twists in logic to fathom how kids think."

            "I guess." Ebony smiled back reluctantly. "No more self-pity for me, I suppose."

            "Certainly not," Carol agreed. "Now, why don't we see about finding you some other clothes? Not that those robes from Atlantis aren't lovely, of course."

            "Lovely. That's one word for them." Ebony picked at one sleeve sourly. The robes Mother Nature had lent her were delicate, lacey, and pastel pink. She had a strong suspicion that Bianca had been involved in picking them. Bianca was the type of girl who thought everyone liked pink. "How soon can we go?"

            "I thought you might like that idea," Carol said dryly. "We can go now, if you like."

            "I do like," Ebony agreed quickly. "Very much so."

            As Carol led Ebony out to the storerooms of extra materials, she smiled. She'd been wondering if Ebony's feelings for Bernard were as strong as Bernard's were for her. After their conversation… well, now she knew. 

            "I think that's enough work for one night."

            Bernard jumped, looking up from the papers he'd been poring over. "What?"

            "I said," Scott repeated, louder, "I think you've worked long enough for today. Wouldn't want a relapse, would we?"

            "I'm just finishing," Bernard objected. "Anyway, I've got a lot of time to catch up on."

            "Bernard, I guarantee we are right on schedule," Scott said. "Ahead of schedule, even. In fact, we are so far beyond the schedule that we've passed it going the other way. You just recovered from a very draining experience. You shouldn't stay up till all hours. You need to rest and recover."

            "I've been resting and recovering," Bernard said impatiently. "Christmas is nearly here – "

            "Christmas," Scott interrupted, "is not for eighteen more days. We're already the last ones in the workshop. I'm not letting you stay here till three in the morning."

            "I won't stay till three," Bernard said. "Just till – till seven, or seven-thirty – "

            "It's already eight," Scott informed him. "Look, you won't be able to work at all if you collapse from exhaustion."

            "But – "

            "And just think how upset Ebony will be if you don't go see her on her first night here," Scott added. "Don't you want to make sure she's settling in, see how she's doing? It's a little disconcerting to come here after living with humans for so long."

            "I guess." Bernard hesitated. "I do want to see her."

            "Then go," Scott urged. "Best not to keep the womenfolk waiting. Besides," he grinned, "from what you've told me, she'd have no problems barging in here looking for you if you don't go to her, and that would disrupt your work way more than just leaving ever could."

            "Yeah. Yeah, you're right." Bernard stood up. "I'll just clean up here – "

            A knock sounded at the door, and for a moment Scott thought it actually was Ebony. Then he turned to look.

            "What the hell is that thing?" He took several steps backward. The creature standing in the doorway was quite possibly the most hideous thing he'd ever set eyes on. Its bottom half could have been a giant spider, except for the scorpion's tail, but its top half was almost entirely lizard-like, with a snake's head. Its fiery red eyes glared at both men.

            "What?" Bernard looked over, alarmed. Then he caught sight of it and groaned. "Oh, no. What now?" Scott noted, bemused, that Bernard didn't sound particularly frightened. Extremely annoyed, yes. But scared? No.

            "I come bearing a messsage from Her Gracce Danica Emryss," the creature hissed.

            "I got that part." Bernard crossed his arms. "And who are you?"

            "I am Nathair, sservant to Her Gracce," it replied. "Will you hear the wordss of your lady mother, Your Gracce?"

            "Don't suppose I have a choice?" Bernard scowled.

            "Your Gracce iss pleassed to jesst," Nathair said, bowing. "Her Gracce wishess me to inform you that she iss aware of Your Gracce'ss mosst… unfortunate activitiess of late, and she iss grateful that Your Gracce hass ssurvived unsscathed."

            Bernard waited a moment. "Really?" he asked suspiciously. "She said that?"

            "It iss my duty to convey the ssentimentss that Her Gracce holdss deep in her heart," Nathair said smoothly. "Even when they are not sso coarssely voicced aloud."

            "I see." Bernard rolled his eyes in disgust. "And might I ask what sentiments my sainted mother did see fit to voice aloud?"

            "Wordss are but a veil for the true feelingss of beingss ass complex ass Her Gracce," Nathair replied. "To repeat the ssimple wordss sspoken would be to ignore Her Gracce'ss intent in sspeaking."

            "Let me guess – she forgot my name again," Bernard said cynically. "Or maybe started swearing at me for being a disgrace to her bloodline? Was she drunk? I suppose she'd have to be, sending a message to me, of all people." He shook his head, holding up a hand to forestall Nathair's reply. "No, don't bother answering. I don't want to have to untangle another one of your sentences. I can guess pretty well what she probably said. Tell her thanks. It's always encouraging when your mother notices that you nearly die – and only five days after the fact, too."

            Nathair bowed. "I shall be ssure to convey your true feelingss on the matter to your honored mother," he said. 

            "I'm sure." The sarcasm dripped from Bernard's voice. "You go right on back and do that."

            "Ass ssoon ass I have related the remainder of Her Gracce'ss messsage to Your Gracce," Nathair said calmly.

            "Was there more?" Bernard snorted. "Should've guessed. Mother dearest would never waste a precious hour of a servant's time, just to see if I'm ok."

            Nathair inclined his head in a manner that implied he was far too polite to argue with one of his betters. "Her Gracce wishess me to remind Your Gracce that the Sseelie and Unsseelie Courtss convene in three dayss' time, and that it iss your duty ass a noble of the realmss to attend."

            Bernard stiffened. "Tell her to go to hell."

            "I am ssure that iss merely an expresssion often ussed by the Chrisstmass elvess, meaning that you will be pleassed to do ass Her Gracce requesstss," Nathair said. "I shall inform her of it directly."

            "Go ahead," Bernard said, shrugging. "Say anything you like. But it won't change the fact that I'm not going to that Court."

            "Your Gracce'ss family will be mosst dissappointed," Nathair warned. "The Lady Tasha in particular ssendss her regardss, and wishess to meet with you to asssure hersself that Your Gracce iss indeed well oncce more."

            "Tasha?" Bernard asked, touched in spite of himself. He'd always had a bit of a soft spot for his half-sister. His eyes narrowed. "An interpretation of her true feelings, again?"

            "Unfortunately, the Lady Tasha iss not sso adept at conccealing her true feelingss ass are Your Gracce and Your Gracce'ss mother," Nathair said with delicate distaste. "Her wordss are her own."

            Bernard couldn't help but grin. Yes, Tasha's words would certainly be her own. Her habit of saying exactly what was on her mind had earned her the dislike of a good portion of the Unseelie Court, just as it had won her his respect.

            "Shall I tell the Lady that she musst be dissappointed?" Nathair asked.

            "Tell her…" Bernard shook his head. "Tell her I can't leave the North Pole right now. Court or no Court, it's nearly Christmas. I've been gone for too long as it is. Mother can just make my excuses."

            "Neither Her Gracce nor the Lady will be content with ssuch an ansswer," Nathair warned.

            "I'll risk it," Bernard said. "Give Tasha my love."

            "And Her Gracce, of coursse."

            Bernard shrugged. "If you like."

            Nathair bowed a final time to Bernard, nodded coldly to Scott, and disappeared in a shower of crimson sparks.

            "So… what was that again?" Scott asked.

            Bernard shook himself out of whatever thoughts he'd been immersed in. "What? Oh, that. That was one of my dear mother's servants."

            "Your mother has servants like that?" Scott grimaced.

            "Oh, he's not too bad," Bernard said, shrugging. "Just ugly. You should meet some of the dangerous ones." He paused. "Actually, maybe it would be better if you didn't. They don't like humans much."

            "Eat us for breakfast, do they?" Scott quipped.

            "Not anymore," Bernard said seriously. "Queen Titania passed a law."

            Scott's grin faded. "Doesn't sound like a very nice place."

            "You don't know the half of it." Bernard sighed. "Well, at least I have an excuse not to go to the Court this year. Last time they held it during summer, and I had to go."

            "What is that Court, anyway?" Scott wanted to know. "Royal court, court of law, or what?"

            "A little of both," Bernard said, after thinking a moment. "All the nobles gather every twenty-five years, to discuss problems and debate laws. Technically, Queen Titania and King Oberon rule Underhill, but the Sidhe nobles are very powerful, too. The Court is where they compromise." He sighed. "At least, that's the surface reason. The Court meets from mid-morning till mid-afternoon. The rest of the time is filled with parties and balls. Have you ever been to a Sidhe ball?"

            "Er – not that I can remember," Scott said.

            "It is the single most boring event ever to be imagined," Bernard said. "I'd rather muck out the reindeer stalls. I'd rather take inventory of the number of children who celebrate Christmas. I'd rather read Curtis's Handbook!"

            "That bad?" Scott asked.

            "Worse." Bernard shook his head. "Well, I'm not going, and that's it. Maybe I'll visit Tasha another time."

            "Who's Tasha?" Scott asked. "Family? A cousin?"

            "My half-sister," Bernard said. "Mother remarried after she left my father. Twice, actually. One daughter from each marriage. Tasha and Fiona are my half-sisters."

            "You never mentioned before that you had sisters," Scott said, a little miffed.

            "You never asked," Bernard pointed out. "Look, I'm not too happy about my mother's family, all right? Most of them aren't very nice. Being half Unseelie isn't something I'm proud of."

            "All right, all right." Scott let the subject drop. "So weren't you about to go visit Ebony?"

            "Oh, yeah." Bernard smiled at the mention of his love. "Right. You're sure you don't need me for anything else?"

            "I've spent the past ten minutes trying to get you to leave," Scott said. "Why would I want you to stay longer?"

            "Point." Bernard grinned. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

            "See you then." Scott waved as Bernard teleported to the residential area.

            Bernard started heading for his own room, then frowned. That wasn't right. He wanted to see Ebony. Which room would she be in?

            Well, no way to find out except to ask.

            While Bernard and Ebony had been recovering in Atlantis, they'd realized something very odd that had happened as a result of their time in Destiny. They could read each other's minds. Not in the usual way of telepathy, where it required a lot of effort, and a _Reach_, but as easily as thinking. It was like speech – except without any speaking.

            _Ebony?_ Bernard asked silently. _Where are you?_

_            Bernard!_ She sounded so happy to hear from him, Bernard couldn't help but grin. _It's about time. I'm in my room. It's gorgeous – you've got to see it._ Along with that statement came the location of her new room.

            _On my way, _Bernard assured her, teleporting to right outside her door. He knocked.

            There was a brief pause before Ebony opened the door. "You didn't do your golden sparks thing," she said, a little disappointed.

            "I can't," Bernard explained. "It's your room. You haven't given me access. No one can teleport into your room until you – hey, wait – "

            Ebony grabbed his hand, put it on the doorframe, then covered it with hers. There was a brief sparkle over their hands. "There," she said matter-of-factly. "Now you can come in whenever you like."

            Bernard blinked. "You shouldn't do that for just anyone," he said.

            "I wouldn't," Ebony said breezily. "Just you." She tugged him inside. "Look at this place! Isn't it wonderful?"

            Obediently, Bernard looked around the room. For North Pole standards, it was actually a little plain, but he decided not to mention that. "Wonderful," he agreed. "And your new clothes are beautiful."

            "Really?" Ebony grinned, twirling around to give him the full effect. She had a dark green shirt of crushed velvet, and an ankle-length black skirt shot through with silver threads. "Carol picked them. She designed the room, too. She's got great taste."

            "So I see." Bernard smiled. "So, have you seen a lot of the city?"

            "Not the city," Ebony said. "Most of the workshop, though."

            "Good." Bernard took her hand. "Then why don't we go for a walk?"

            He teleported them out of the room, to a hill on the edge of the city. Ebony gasped. From that spot they could see the entire city of Elfheim, in all its sparkling glory. She turned to Bernard, eyes wide.

            "You live in the most beautiful place on Earth," Ebony told him.

            Bernard grinned. "I know."

            They started to walk along the outer edge of the city. Bernard had always liked it out there – quiet, calm, and peaceful – but he suspected that was a little of his Sidhe heritage showing through. The Christmas elves were very social beings, and most of them preferred to walk the busy paths of the inner city.

            "So you do like it here?" Bernard asked, wanting to make sure. "I mean, really like it? Enough to stay?"

            "I don't know yet." Ebony shrugged. "I think I could. It's weird, being able to decide where I want to live. I never really liked _any_ of the places I had to live before. The only thing about this place is…" She hesitated.

            "What?" Bernard frowned. What could anyone not love about the North Pole.

            "Well… what's with all the little kids?" Ebony asked. "So far, the only adults I've seen are Santa, Carol, and you. Why are all the other people so young?"

            Bernard frowned. "Well… they're Christmas elves. And most of them are older than you."

            "Yes, I noticed that part," Ebony said. "But where are the adult Christmas elves?"

            "These _are_ the adult Christmas elves," Bernard said. "They never reach puberty. The oldest only grow to about thirteen or fourteen. Most stop at twelve."

            "But – you – "

            "I'm not a Christmas elf," Bernard explained. "Well… not entirely. I'm half Christmas elf, and half – " He stopped, to avoid the confusion that he knew would come if he didn't clarify. "S-I-D-H-E. It's pronounced 'shee.' It's a different kind of elf."

            "A kind that grows up?" Ebony asked warily.

            "Yes," Bernard assured her. "We definitely grow up." He paused again. "Look, I'd appreciate it if you didn't talk about that too much. I don't really like not being a pureblood."

            "I can do that," Ebony said. "Though really, I'm pretty glad you aren't a Christmas elf. I don't think I'd fall for a twelve-year-old." She grinned.

            They walked in silence for a few minutes, enjoying each other's company. Bernard was the one who broke the silence.

            "Ebony?"

            She glanced at him. "Yeah?"

            "Remember when we were in Destiny?"

            "Be a bit hard to forget," Ebony said, grinning. "Of course I remember."

            "And… do you remember why you didn't die?"

            "Um." Ebony thought back. "You called me, didn't you? It's a little hazy. All I remember is that I was alone… and then you were there. In my head. And you never really went away." She leaned against him. "It's kinda nice."

            "Yeah." Bernard bit his lip nervously. "Look, Mother Nature was talking to me about that, and there are some things you should know. Things she thought would be better coming from me."

            Ebony pulled away. "What kind of things?" she asked suspiciously. "Bad things?"

            "Well… maybe. Depends on the interpretation." Bernard sighed. "When I called you back, I bound us. No one's quite sure what it was I did, but you and I are tied together."

            "That doesn't sound so bad." Ebony started to relax.

            "There's more." Bernard tried to phrase it as gently as he could. "You remember when we met, and I said that you could choose whether to become fully human or to become fully magical?"

            "Yes…" Ebony clearly didn't like the sound of this.

            "It seems that the choice has been made for you." Bernard took her hand. "Ebony, you can't become human anymore. You can't go back to that life."

            Ebony looked down. "Oh." She was silent for a minute. "Ok."

            Bernard blinked. "Ok? Just – ok?"

            "Sure. What, you want something else?" Ebony asked. "Why would I want to go back to that life? Let's think a minute here. I can be a college student barely scraping by, majoring in the incredibly useless field of art history, looking at a future of a whole lot of nothing, or I can stay here, learn magic, get to know my family, and be with you. Not a hard choice, when you think about it."

            "But – but you said you didn't know if you wanted to stay," Bernard protested.

            Ebony blinked, thinking back. "Oh, that? I thought you meant if I wanted to stay at the North Pole." She rolled her eyes. "You should be more specific. So was that it?"

            "Yes." Bernard paused. "Well, no. That was everything Mother Nature told me to say, but I have a few other things I'd like to say. Just from me to you."

            "Ok." Ebony leaned against him again, moving his arm to circle her shoulders as they walked. "Go ahead."

            "Um." Bernard wondered how to say it. He hadn't had much practice. Maybe he should have asked Scott for advice. Or Carol. Carol always gave good advice. "Ebony…"

            "Get on with it," Ebony told him.

            Bernard closed his eyes and steeled himself. "Will you marry me?"

            Complete and utter silence. Ebony stopped walking, and Bernard's arm fell away from her shoulders.

            Eventually, Bernard risked opening his eyes to see her reaction. She was staring at him, stunned. She probably hadn't moved since he'd asked her. Bernard wondered anxiously if maybe he'd moved too fast. He definitely should have waited to talk to Carol. She would have told him what to do.

            "Bernard," Ebony said, in a very slow, even tone. "Did you just propose marriage to me?"

            "Um. Yes?" Bernard said. "Are you angry?"

            "Angry." Ebony blinked. "Angry? Why would I be angry?"

            "Well… you sound angry," Bernard pointed out.

            "Do I?" Ebony shook her head rapidly, to clear it. "I'm not. I'm just confused. No one's ever…" She frowned suddenly. "No one told you to do this, right?"

            "Told me to do what? To propose to you?" Bernard asked blankly.

            "Yes. Not – not Mother Nature, or my father, or someone, because I'm stuck here?" Ebony's eyes narrowed into a glare. "Is this a pity proposal? Are you feeling guilty because I can't go back to Earth and be human anymore? Is that what this is?"

            "No! How can you even think that?" Bernard demanded. "I love you, all right? And I can't stand the thought of not being with you! It nearly drove me mad when I thought you were dead. I want you to stay with me forever, do you understand that? Maybe you aren't ready for that now. I probably should have waited a while to ask, to let you get used to this place. You want me to wait? Fine. I'll wait. Let me know when you're ready for me to ask again. I'll wait as long as you need – months, years, centuries, you name it. I'll still want to marry you. I'll always want to marry you."

            Ebony stood frozen in the snow after Bernard's tirade. "You – you really – " She turned away. "God, I'm a horrible person, aren't I?"

            "No – no, don't say that!" Bernard said, distressed. "I didn't mean to upset you. I just wanted you to understand – "

            "I do understand," Ebony said. "I – I just couldn't believe it. Things don't turn out this perfectly. They just don't. Nothing's _ever_ turned out perfectly for me. There's always a catch. Everyone always wants something from me." She shook her head. "It's this place, isn't it? It's magical. People aren't this nice anywhere on Earth."

            "Well… Elfheim is magical," Bernard admitted. "But I like to think that everyone has the potential to be nice. Deep down."

            Ebony turned around and smiled at him. "I love you, Bernard," she said quietly. "I don't think I could love anyone but you. I would be honored to marry you."

            Bernard reached out to caress her cheek. She smiled. "So what? Is that it?"

            He grinned, and pulled her close.

            The next morning, Bernard – who all the elves agreed was far more cheerful than was normal for so close to Christmas – had barely started going over the daily to-do list with Scott when Judy rushed into Scott's office, looked harried.

            "Santa, there's a lady to see you," she said. "And you, Bernard. An elf lady."

            "Oh, no." Bernard sighed. "If it's my mother – "

            "It isn't." A young woman entered the room. Delicately pointed ears poked through her vivid red curls, and her dark brown eyes flashed with impatience. "There you are, Bernard. I've been looking all over this city for you."

            "Tasha?" Bernard blinked, not having expected his half-sister to show up at the North Pole. "Um… did you need something?"

            "Yes. You." Tasha folded her arms, looking extremely displeased. "And incidentally, shouldn't you be resting? Mother said you nearly died, but here you are up and about at all hours of the day." She glared at Scott. "What sort of place are you running, Mr. Claus? My brother should not be working!"

             "If you can stop him, it'll be more than anyone else could do," Scott said.

            Tasha shook her head. "I suspected as much," she said gloomily. "You are all right, then, Bernard? Not seriously hurt?"

            "I'm fine," Bernard said. "I survived, and I'm certainly strong enough to get back to work."

            "You might be strong enough to work, but you aren't going to," Tasha said. "Or have you forgotten that you have to come to the Court?"

            "Of course I haven't forgotten," Bernard said. "Mother just sent her lizard up to remind me. I remember perfectly. I'm just not going."

            "You are," Tasha said flatly.

            "I don't have time," Bernard insisted.

            "Then you'd better make time," Tasha said. "Do you have any idea what they're discussing at this Court?"

            "How much they hate the human race?" Bernard guessed. "Or whether velvet is more stylish than silk?"

            "Hardly." Tasha gave him a withering glare. "The main topic this time is those stupid Time Flies you helped release."

            "I didn't release them!" Bernard objected, stung.

            "Well, you'd better go tell the Court that, hadn't you," Tasha said. "Because you're the one they're blaming. Or didn't you know that those things are all settling Underhill?"

            Bernard winced. "That's not good."

            "No, it's not," Tasha agreed. "That's why there was so little notice about this Court. It wasn't supposed to be till spring, because Titania said that she's not letting you weasel out of these things. You're a noble, and you'd better act like one."

            "Great," Bernard muttered.

            "So you'd better show up," Tasha said. "I've been defending you as much as I can, but I'm one of the only ones. Besides, at least you've fought one of those things. None of us have, and the nobles are going half mad." She looked over at Scott. "You got that? We need him back home. You're not to keep him here."

            "I'm not the one to tell," Scott pointed out. "He doesn't do what I say, anyway."

            "I do," Bernard objected. He paused. "Usually. Sometimes, anyway. Half the time. Nearly half. At least a third."

            "Enough. If I'm a figurehead, at least don't tell me about it," Scott said, laughing.

            "Right, then," Tasha said. "I've got to get back home. Mother thinks I've gone to buy a new dress." She leveled her glare at her half-brother again. "You had better show up for that Court, Bernard. I'll see you Underhill within twenty-four hours, or I'll know why." With that, she turned and strode out.

            "So," Scott said after a moment. "That was your sister. Nice girl. Very direct."

            Bernard shook his head, grinning. "You should see her when she really gets going." The grin faded. "But it looks like I really am going to have to go Underhill, at least for a little while. If I don't go to defend myself, they might just declare me traitor or something. They already don't like halfbloods. And even if the Court lets me off, some of the nobles…" He sighed. "Can you do without me for a little longer?"

            "Sure," Scott said. "It'll give you a chance to rest a little longer. Say," he grinned, "why don't you take Ebony?"

            "Ebony. Oh, Lord, Ebony!" Bernard paled. "I think I may have to take her. I've got to present her to Titania."

            Scott blinked. "Really? Why?"

            "Because…" Bernard took a deep breath. "Because Ebony and I are engaged."

            The look on Scott's face was priceless. "Engaged? Like engaged to be married? That kind of engaged? When did that happen?"

            "Last night," Bernard said. He thought about saying something else, but decided there wasn't really anything else to say.

            "Well… congratulations, then," Scott said. "Does anyone else know?"

            "Not yet," Bernard said. "We were going to tell her family tonight. I guess we'll have to tell them sooner now."

            "Well." Scott took a deep breath. "Well. Why don't you go and get ready to leave, then? I'll call Curtis, and the two of us will finish up here."

            Bernard nodded. "I'll let you know before I leave."

            "Good. Do that," Scott said. As Bernard teleported away, Scott pulled Curtis's bell cord. Might as well get started.

            Ebony wandered through the workshops of the North Pole, feeling a little lost. She didn't really know anyone here except Scott, Carol, and Bernard, and they were all busy. She'd considered going to Atlantis to talk to her siblings, but she'd had to scrap that idea once she realized she had no idea how to get to Atlantis. So she decided that she might as well walk through the workshops, to get to know her new home a little better.

            It wasn't working.

            With Christmas so close, everyone was working frantically to get done. No one had much time to spare on one girl. The few elves she'd tried to talk to had told her politely but firmly to please go away and let them work. So she was wandering on her own.

            "Excuse me! Miss Hiems?"

            Ebony turned around. The elf girl who'd called her stepped forward shyly, brushing back her wild red hair. "Yeah?" Ebony said.

            "Hi. Um… I'm Genevieve. From the Clothing Design Department. You met me yesterday?"

            "Right," Ebony said, remembering. "You were asking about my hair."

            "That's right." Genevieve smiled. "I – um – I found something you might like." She pulled something out of her pocket and handed it to Ebony.

            Ebony examined it, and started to grin. It was emerald green hair dye. "Thank you, Genevieve!"

            Genevieve shrugged. "I just – I thought you might like it. And I want you to be happy. Because – well, anyone can see that having you happy is the best way to make Bernard happy."

            Ebony's grin turned into a slightly suspicious frown. "You're friends with Bernard?"

            "Oh – not really." Genevieve looked down. "I mean, I'd quite like to be his friend, but I don't think he wants to have anything to do with me. Or at least, he never did before. Now that he's got you, he might not mind so much."

            The penny dropped. "You're his ex!" Ebony accused.

            Genevieve nodded sadly. "But – please, don't worry. He was never meant for me. I always knew it. I can read the future, a little, and I saw in his that he had a great destiny, and a great love, ahead of him. And that love wasn't me. I want the two of you to be happy together, believe me. And – " she bit her lip, "and if there's anything I can do for you, just let me know. Maybe you and I won't be friends, either, but I'd really like not to be enemies."

            Ebony considered this for a moment. "I guess we could work on that," she conceded. "But if you try to steal him from me, I'll dropkick you."

            Genevieve's eyes widened before she realized it was a joke. She smiled. "That sounds fair. Er." She hesitated. "If you ever – you know – need anything, please ask me. I really want you to like it at the North Pole."

            "Ok," Ebony said. "I may just take you up on that."

            "Please do," Genevieve told her. "Really. Look, I have to go now. Christmas coming up and all, you know? So… bye, then."

            "Bye," Ebony echoed. Genevieve smiled and darted off, looking very relieved.

            Ebony blinked, looking down at the hair dye again. She grinned. Well, at least she had something to do now.

            Bernard teleported to the hallway in front of Ebony's room. All right, so she'd given him permission to teleport in… that didn't mean he felt comfortable doing it. After all, they weren't married yet. He rapped on the door.

            When Ebony opened it, he had a flashback to the first time he'd met her. Her hair was, once again, a brilliant deep green.

            "Hi, love," she said, grinning. "Notice anything new?"

            "You – your hair," Bernard said, blinking. "It's – green." Slowly, he began to grin. "You know, you just didn't look like _you_ without the green hair." Feeling mischievous, he reached out and tugged a lock of it.

            Ebony laughed. "So, didn't you have to work today?" she asked. "Or are you calling in sick?"

            "I was at work," Bernard said. "But then… well, it turns out I have to leave again. I need to go Underhill, to the Sidhe Court. And I think you need to come with me."

            "Do I?" Ebony raised her eyebrows. "Do I get to ask why?"

            "I have to present you," Bernard said awkwardly. "To the Court. You know, as my fiancée."

            "Oh." Ebony's face lit up. "Oh! Really? That's great!"

            Bernard blinked. This was not the reaction he had anticipated. "To the Sidhe Court," he clarified. "You did get that part, right? Great is not the word I would use."

            "Well, I would," Ebony said brightly. "You're presenting me! That means this is official, right? We're really engaged?"

            "Of course," Bernard said. "We've been really engaged since last night. You were paying attention, weren't you?"

            Ebony rolled her eyes. "Yes, but this way it will feel real. Like I'm meeting your family. I will get to meet them, won't I?"

            "I doubt you'll be able to escape it," Bernard said glumly. "You won't like them, you know. Most of them are awful."

            "That's ok." Ebony smiled. "I want to meet them anyway. As your fiancée! Oh, you have no idea how exciting this is!"

            "You're right. I haven't." Bernard sighed. "Well, you'll find out soon enough, I guess. How long do you need to pack?"

            Ebony shrugged. "When do you want to leave?"

            "Now, if possible," Bernard said. "We have to stop by Atlantis, first."

            "We do? Why?"

            "To tell your family about the engagement," Bernard reminded her. He grimaced. "I _really_ don't know why you think meeting families is fun."

            "You're _what_?"

            Bernard gulped as Father Time looked from him to Ebony. "Engaged, sir. Er. You don't mind, do you? I mean, you do give your consent, right?"

            Father Time started laughing. "As if I could stop you two from wedding even if I wanted to! Of course I give my consent. Didn't I tell you before you went into Destiny after her that you had my blessing?"

            "Oh. Did you?" Bernard blinked. "I… forgot."

            "Understandable," Father Time said. "So, have you decided on a date yet?"

            "We haven't even been engaged a day yet," Ebony pointed out. "When would we pick a date?"

            "True," Father Time agreed. "Well, congratulations, both of you."

            "Thanks," Bernard said. There was an awkward silence.

            "Oh – you two are heading Underhill now, aren't you?" Father Time said. "Because of those Flies?"

            "Among other things," Bernard said.

            "If you are, you'd better take Dimitri along with you," Father Time advised. "You might need someone who can fight those things, and since I can't go, Dimitri's your best bet. He's learning to control his magic remarkably quickly."

            Bernard frowned. "Well… I don't know if the Court will like that…"

            "They'll like anything that gets rid of those Flies," Father Time said firmly. "And it will take Time magic to do it, make no mistake." He raised his voice. "Dimitri! Dimitri, come here!"

            After a minute, Dimitri made his way through the foliage of Atlantis to the group. "Yes?"

            "Your sister and her fiancé are going Underhill to fight the Time Flies," Father Time said. "I think you should go help."

            "Me?" Dimitri blinked. "Well, I guess I – wait. Fiancé?" He stared at Bernard and Ebony. "Are you two engaged?"

            Ebony grinned. "Since last night."

            "Oh. That was… fast," Dimitri said diplomatically. "Congratulations, then."

            "Thanks," Ebony said, grinning.

            "So, when are we leaving?" Dimitri asked.

            "As soon as you're ready," Bernard said. 

            Dimitri nodded. "Give me twenty minutes."

            Twenty minutes later, they gathered again. "Ready?" Bernard asked.

            "Yep," Ebony said, as Dimitri nodded.

            "All right, then," Bernard said. "Here we go." He snapped his fingers.

            It wasn't like a normal teleportation. Traveling Underhill was different from anything else in the universe. There was a sensation of being surrounded by mists, not unlike those of Destiny, and then a brief, terrifying moment of being wrapped in impenetrable black velvet. And then – with a flash of blazing gold – they were there.

            "Well, it's about damn time," a feminine voice snapped. As Bernard's eyes cleared, he recognized his mother, Danica Emrys. They had appeared in her bower, where she sat enthroned like a queen. "Finally decided to show your face, did you?"

            "Hello, Mother," Bernard said, resigned.

            "Don't you give me that," Danica said heartlessly. "You ought to be ashamed to speak to me, after what you've done. I ought to have you thrown to the pixies. Imagine, releasing a magical menace onto your own homeland!"

            "I didn't!" Bernard snapped.

            "Oh, so you deny it?" Danica laughed harshly.

            Bernard peered at her suspiciously. "You've been drinking again," he accused her.

            "And why shouldn't I, with an embarrassment of a son like you?" Danica asked. "You don't even have the courtesy to be properly respectful of your mother. And not only that, but you come here with _human_ servants. The nerve!"

            "We aren't servants!" Ebony said angrily.

            "Aren't you?" Danica raised an aristocratic eyebrow. "You can't possibly be friends. My son is a Duke of the Blood Royal – he wouldn't dare stoop to associating with the likes of you." Her eyes narrowed. "Or maybe he would. After all, he's proved time and again that he is completely indifferent to the responsibilities of his rank. Maybe I should throw the lot of you in the scorpion pit – get rid of the pair of you, and teach my brat of a son some manners."

            Danica waved an imperious hand, and a pair of giant wolves entered the room. "Remove them from my sight," she commanded. "At once."

Author's Note: Well. Bernard's family isn't turning out quite the way I'd intended, but I think it seems to be working. I quite like Tasha. Danica I'm not too fond of – but who would be? Anyway, next chapter, expect to meet the Sidhe Court. Also, we've met one of Bernard's ex-girlfriends. The other should be showing up any time now. ^_^

Thank you to everyone who reviewed!

Rood-Roosje, Katie, Pearl_light, random reviewer (Thanks for the location information. Where did you find it?), Jessica, EmmaCF, Nevyn, TheAlmightyMasterT-Chan.

Zhai'helleva!

 - Mystica 


End file.
